


Still Us...

by Frin



Series: Still Me [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-11-26 07:43:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 41,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20926607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frin/pseuds/Frin
Summary: Sequel to Still Me... Begins on the morning after their wedding night. The Time Lord and Rose in the alternative living their fantastic life...





	1. Chapter 1

She yawned and stretched, her whole body moving against his cool one. She turned to him with a lazy, happy smile.

He was wide awake, staring at the ceiling, but as soon as she moved, he turned to her, the grin on his face very evident of his intent.

“You been waiting for me?” she asked, her pulse suddenly quickening as she caught the darkness of his come-to-bed eyes. Silly really, when they were already there.

“Nah… knew you’d be here any moment… sleep well?”

“Like a log, Doctor… last night was…” He moved forward and kissed her, blocking the words with a renewed passion and she responded quickly, melting into him. It was her need for oxygen that pulled them apart.

“Care for a repeat performance?” His hands wandered over her naked body and she sucked in a breath as his fingers found places that she had no idea played a part in any sexual role.

“Which one?” she breathed, inhaling the odour of the previous night’s lovemaking sessions and thinking that a shower might be in order. He was already there, jumping out of bed completely and gloriously naked and picked her up as if she were as light as a feather.

In the shower he lathered her body up slowly, seemingly worshipping every bit of it. She was practically shaking with desire by the time he rinsed her off. He was grinning lazily, knowing exactly what he did to her. He moved forward, but she pushed him back, shaking her head and picking up the bar of soap that he had discarded. His wet eyebrows raised and his grin deepened as Rose began to slowly lather his lean body.

She knelt before him, studying his excited length and glanced up wickedly. His grin had gone as he realised what she was about to do to him and his eyes were so black that you couldn’t distinguish between pupil and iris.

Her mouth took him in and this time it was his turn to become putty in her hands, or rather in her mouth. He gasped and leant back against the tiled wall as she set her clever little tongue and mouth to work. Her head bobbed slightly and her eyes locked onto his, seeing exactly what she could reduce him to as well.

He grabbed the sides of her wet head, desperately quelling the urge to thrust. Her mouth sucked him in completely, her cheeks hollowing at the pressure and he groaned, feeling his stomach flutter and his balls tighten.

“Rose… I’m going to….” She hummed upon him interrupting and sending a vibration down him. His eyes widened and he couldn’t resist a little thrust, which Rose seemed to welcome. He began a slow rhythm into that wonderful, clever warm place only now half aware that he wanted to give her similar pleasure.

Her mouth and head upped the anti, bringing him so close that he was rendered practically paralysed save the gentle rhythm into her mouth.

She pulled higher onto her knees and let more of him enter her, her hand working the rest of him.

He called out into the spray of water and unloaded unexpectedly into her sweet mouth.

She continued to work at him until his orgasm subsided and then she smiled up at him, swallowing every last drop of him. He fell to his knees, kissing her frantically, their wet bodies sliding against one another.

She pulled back laughing.

“You like?”

“Oh Rose, you have no idea! But this was about you, not me!”

“I rather think it’s about both of us actually, Doctor and do you really think I wouldn’t enjoy giving my own husband a blow job?”

“Such words!”

“You’re shocked?”

“No! Just husband and blow job together on the first day of our honeymoon!” Her face clouded slightly and he took it between his hands.

“What?” She leaned up and turned the shower off.

“We should have stayed. Mum will be doing her nut!”

“Well, that’s nothing new, is it?”

“We should have had a wedding feast… really… it was wrong to take off like that! And how will Jacatance feel?”

“She’s fine with Jackie; Rose… they will understand… it’s our honeymoon!” She looked at him a little sadly and then nodded.

“I know… it was impulsive… I just think we should… maybe… go back?”

“We can do that… arrive as we left… that would be okay… brand new TARDIS, would be much more accurate!”

“Really? You don’t mind? I know I didn’t want a fuss, but it doesn’t seem right not to do the party and throw my bouquet and confetti and all!”

“Plus we get to do it the first time all over again… well metaphorically speaking, we do!”

“You don’t think Mum will know as soon as she claps eyes on us?”

“She would know? How does she not know we haven’t already?”

“She’s my mother, Doctor!”

“Oh, so what? At least we can prove to her that it is possible to lead both the life we choose AND do the domestic we have promised her?”

“We’re going back then?”

“If you want… but first… first I want to return the favour!”

“Favour?”

“Oh yes, Rose Tyler, my wife, I want to taste you till you explode against my tongue... is that okay?”

“I think I could… well, it’s a dirty job, but I suppose someone has to do it?” She stood and ran dripping back into the bedroom with him in hot pursuit. He tackled her onto the bed and began to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with much enthusiasm, their tongues dancing against one another’s. 

Gradually he began to kiss and lick his way slowly down her sodden body, as she watched his head travelling lower and lower.

Finally, he reached his goal and she smiled happily as all her fantasies came true.


	2. Chapter 2

“Where did they go?” Jackie Tyler stood outside Torchwood House, little toddler Lullabean on her hip and Tony at her feet.

“They ran into the woods!” said a member of the Torchwood team that had turned up and was keeping an eye on the security around the unadvertised but much known about wedding at Pete’s request.

“They’ve done a bunk!” said Pete with a wry grin.

“Shall we go after them, sir; your instructions were to stay out of the woods?”

“Rose wouldn’t do that to me… not on her wedding day! Course they ain’t gone!” said Jackie, not looking at all convinced at this.

“No, the Doctor said to make sure no one went in, that includes us! Like my wife says, they are about… we’ll just have to wait, won’t we, Jax?”

“Yeah… they probably went to check on something important… they won’t be long. You, lot, the party’s in the great hall now, the numbers have risen somewhat so the staff have kindly moved the celebrations in there… I’m sure the bride and groom will be along shortly… go and make yourselves comfortable!” Jackie tried to sound completely confident as she addressed the large ensemble around the main entrance. 

Gradually they all began to filter inside, leaving Jackie and Pete and a clutch of Torchwood’s finest waiting.

“Shall I take the little ones in?” asked one of Jackie’s closest friends and Jackie nodded almost miserably as she searched the trees for a glimpse of her daughter and new son-in-law.

Minutes went by and Pete took her arm.

“Jackie… this is so them, isn’t it? They said they’ll always come back… she’s his wife now… come on, let’s go in and host this… we can at least celebrate the day… can’t we?”

“They’ll be here, Pete… I know it… they wouldn’t do that to me… would they?” Her eyes turned to him desperately and he felt her despair and a little annoyance at the reckless pair for doing this to the woman he loved. As he opened his mouth to speak, he heard something that was completely unfamiliar to him and Jackie jumped as she heard it too.

A calling in the air… like the sound of a large mammal from an age gone by tuning in and out… a whale call or the sound of a powerful engine grinding on and off, on and off. The wind picked up as the gravel in front them began to shimmer and crunch with the weight of something invisible sitting upon it.

Jackie’s hair blew back and they both shielded their faces as an image began to appear before them, flashing in and out, in and out and then the blue box appeared before them and stood peacefully upon the drive.

Then all was silent and still as the doors gently creaked open. They appeared together, Rose no longer in her wedding dress, but in a beautiful cobalt blue cocktail dress that glowed against her suspiciously tanned skin. Her hair seemed longer and blonder and her eyes glittered with happiness as she realised exactly where they had turned up. The Doctor was in his brown pinstripes suit, but his tie matched Rose’s dress exactly and he had a red rose in his button hole.

“Where the bleedin’ hell do you fink you buggered off to?” screeched Jackie, taking in the change of clothes and the blue box and understanding that they had been gone much longer than it appeared.

“My fault, Jackie, got itchy feet… wasn’t expecting all those people to turn up and got a little overwhelmed… we reached our new TARDIS and got a little… erm… diverted!” the Doctor didn’t quite meet Jackie’s eye and Rose squeezed his arm, linking her own through his.

“And how the bleedin’ hell do I explain the mended arm and the suntan and the hair?”

“Oh, Mum, nobody will care… we are an unusual couple, aren’t we? I think most of the people here know that, and it doesn’t matter where we’ve been we’re here now, aren’t we?”

“I know exactly what you’ve been up to! Couldn’t wait to get at her, could ya?”

“Jackie! They’re a couple, always have been so far as I know… and now they’re married… since when did you get so old fashioned about…” Pete was interrupted by the Doctor’s calm tones.

“It’s very honourable and I’m sure Jackie has the best of intentions mixed with the worry of us letting her down, which we haven’t. And just to put your mind at rest, Jackie… not until we were married… I would challenge a saint to hold out much longer! And that said about our private life, what say we go and have a great celebration at the fact that finally Rose and I are married?” Jackie’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes darting from Rose, to the Doctor and then to Pete.

“Okay,” she said finally at almost a whisper, "I’d like that.” Pete took her arm and led her inside with Rose and the Doctor right behind them. From the back view, there was a glimpse of the Doctor’s arm dropping down to squeeze his wife’s perfectly rounded left buttock before they too disappeared inside.

*************

“Please be upstanding for the bride and groom!” announced one of the waiters in a thick Scottish burr as the whole room got up and began to cheer.

Rose was blushing as they entered, not at all used to this sort of attention and only pacified by the fact that the Doctor looked more uncomfortable.

They took their seats at the top table, Jacatance appearing from under the table and crawling onto the Doctor’s lap.

“Eat, drink and be merry!” screeched Jackie, finally finding her smile and waving her arms at all the guests with unhidden pleasure.

Soon they were all eating the delicious food that Pete had managed to get air lifted in to help the kitchens with the extra numbers. Originally this had been a quiet table for six, it was now more like six hundred.

Once Jackie was relaxed and a little merry on champagne, she even apologized for her over reaction.

“Jackie… it was completely expected and understandable… you knew we’d be back, right?” Rose and the Doctor’s eyes flashed to meet each other’s briefly as Jackie continued her humble outburst.

“Yes, I should have known… it’s just… oh, never mind, you were a different person back then… I should know better!”

“Mum, don’t beat yourself up about it, truth be told, there was a part of us that had no intention of returning for our party… we just wanted to get married and get on with our fantastic life! Part of you knows that, doesn’t it?”

“You came back.”

“Yep, we came back!” Jackie’s eyes filled with tears and she reached over the Doctor and enveloped her daughter in a huge hug.

“Getting a little squashed under here!” he wheezed as Jackie then turned to him and crushed him. Then she took his face into her hands and landed a smacker on his unsuspecting lips.

“Means even more that you came back, when you put it like that!” she said smiling happily.

“Good, now… are we going to cut this cake or just admire it all afternoon?”

“Speeches first!” said Jackie, tapping her spoon against her cut crystal glass.

"Speeches?" said Rose and the Doctor in stereo, their faces a picture of terror.


	3. Chapter 3

“Well, public speaking never was my sort of thing, Rose…” 

“No!” she snorted, her arms around his neck looking up at him as they swayed to the music. “So, you decided to give them a lecture on… what was that you were on about anyway?”

“Running… I think… what is this song anyway?”

“Shut up, I love this song! Mum used to play it all the time back in the flat!”

“It's so last century, Rose!”

“Don’t care, music is ageless!”

“Pop music... bit cheesy too!”

“Doctor…”

“I’m teasing… it's perfect, Rose, perfect for here and now. Very weddingy, in a way…”

“Ain’t no such word! Besides, it’s just that film…”

“You gave your promise to me and I gave mine to you…” he sang softly and then leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “Rose, are you wet, wet, wet for me?” He pressed a rather impressive groin to her slender hips and her eyes widened with shock as her neck flushed a give-away pink that crept up into her face. The Doctor laughed out loud.

“You’re so…” she whispered.

“Rude? Definitely, every time at least, where my wife is concerned!”

“Who were you being rude to this time, Doctor?” Jackie’s voice was beside them and for one horrific moment the Doctor thought she had come to cut in, but Rose took hold of the situation by pulling away from her. Jackie was dancing with Pete, who looked a little inebriated and was half asleep upon his wife’s shoulder.

“It was a lovely wedding reception, Mum, but I think it's time we all got going… is Jacatance alright with you tonight?”

“Course, she and Tony have fallen asleep on the window seat over there, it's so cute… you’re not thinking of taking her away with you, are you?”

“Well, we can’t leave her here, can we?”

“But Rose!”

“Jackie, we will discuss arrangements tomorrow, I don’t think now is the time, not today. It’s our wedding day!”

“How could I forget, Doctor? I mean, what sort of groom talks for an hour solid about… what was it you were talking about again?”

“Setting up home… I think…” Jackie looked puzzled, and the Doctor grinned and whisked Rose away before she could reply to the last. “I really do think it is time you and I returned to the TARDIS, Rose, that was a close one, and if Jackie decides she wants to dance with the groom, I really do think the jig might be up because this isn’t going in a hurry…”

“Incorrigible, that’s what you are! But seriously we can’t just dump the poor mite no matter how happy she is!”

“Seriously, Rose…. I need you… now…. Jacatance is fine, we will deal with it… but tonight I need to get you back to my bed!”

“Our bed, I think you’ll find!”

They passed the sleeping children as they slipped out of the French windows and hurried away to the TARDIS, now sitting outside the front doors in pride of place.

Jackie leant against the window frame watching them, knowing that at any moment the TARDIS was going to disappear from sight. This was how life was going to be forever and she would never get completely used to it. Her eyes flickered to her sleeping son and their new charge and a little smile turned her mouth.

The sound of the TARDIS dematerialising reached her ears and sent goose bumps up her arms. 

*********

The door clicked shut, and Rose turned to her husband and the look on his face sent shivers and pulses up and down her body.

“So, the honeymoon’s not over?” she said slowly, her tongue protruding from her mouth and causing his eyes to burn upon her lips.

“I can’t see that it’ll ever be, Rose, not the way you flaunt yourself in front of me!”

“Flaunt?” Her hand went to her zipper, and she quickly slid it down and stepped out of the blue material that pooled around her ankles. Her underwear was carefully chosen, the same deep blue and sheer leaving little to the imagination. The Doctor let out a feral growl deep within his throat and lunged at her. She side stepped, giggling, and made a bolt for the corridors with him in hot pursuit, eyes upon her perfect cheeks below the lace thong.

He caught up with her as they entered their new bedroom and launched himself at her. They landed together upon the huge bed and she turned under him to face him, cheeks flushed, blonde hair fanned out around the pillow and chest heaving with exertion and excitement.

“Rose, the things you do to me!” he whispered, studying her face, the swollen lips, dilated pupils and the glow to her cheeks.

“Ain’t even started yet…” she husked, licking her lips and fixing her gaze to his. He stood up quickly in one fluid and fast moment and began to undress equally as quickly. Rose lay there watching him her body pooling with desire. Her hands went to the clasp upon her bra, but the Doctor stopped and gently shook his head.

“Leave them on… I want to…”

Within seconds a naked and excited Time Lord was crawling up her body, nipping at her flesh and suckling at her skin. His head bent and took a stiffened nipple through the sheer blue lace. He sucked and nibbled at it, the fabric rubbing on the sensitised flesh until Rose whimpered and pinched at the left out nipple to try and simulate the sensations the other was experiencing. His hand batted hers out of the way and his head moved across to give that side the same treatment, his own fingers now working the wet nipple he had left against the damp fabric.

Rose moaned, only to aware of the dampening sensation of more fabric in another area that was aching to be touched.

The Doctor’s fingers travelled deftly downwards worked their way under the blue strings and discovered her slick excitement.

“I feel it in my fingers…” he whispered with a satisfied smile.

“Shut up and shag me!” she retorted, her own fingers now on the move, finding their hardened quest easily and closing around it, possessing it. His eyes widened and the piece of lace he had his hand inside split. “Doctor!” Rose chided, but he ignored her and ripped the fabric from her as if it were paper, tossing it to one side as he explored her with enthusiasm. 

Suddenly she couldn’t take anymore and tired of being submissive; she took him by surprise, sat up, pushed him back and straddled him. The Doctor, surprised by the turnaround, made no struggle and she managed to impale herself happily onto him with a sly grin. “No teasing!” she grinned as she wriggled around atop of him. His large hands circled her hips and pulled her gently up until she was virtually lifted off him. Their eyes locked and the pause that he left was loaded as she waited for him to begin.

He struck suddenly, pulling her down onto him and thrusting up at the same time so Rose felt instantly full of him, letting out a satisfied and needy moan with the violence of the thrust. He didn’t hang about and began such a pace that she had difficulty matching him at first, but gradually she found the rhythm and soon their bodies were moving together in a frantic, age-old dance.

Indeed, Rose looked as if she were a jockey saddled upon her stallion and entering a race to completion with him.

It didn’t take long, given the speed they were going at, and their orgasms hit them together as they both cried out loudly at the intensity of them.

Rose collapsed beside him all knotted up with him and he laughed throatily, kissing her dampened brow as Rose’s eyelids already began to flutter.

“A little rest, wife of mine, and then we need to practise some more dancing…” he teased her, but her eyelids opened and she studied him thoughtfully.

“What exactly are we going to do about Jacatance?”

“Do?”

“She thinks we’re her parents and yet we already dumped her on Mum twice… that ain’t fair, but if we’re gonna be at it like rabbits then this is hardly the right environment for her…”

“We’ll just have to be a little more discreet when she travels with us. Won’t we?”

“Can we?”

“I should think… well, we should… I don’t know… never tried!”

“Besides… what about when she’s older? I mean you’re the last of your kind, I get that, but you look like a human man… Jacatance doesn’t, surely she will need to know?”

“Oh, Rose, of course we’re going to have to search for existing Lullabeans across the universe… but for now, she is happy and loved, she has Tony for company and Jackie is one of the best people I know to take care of her!”

“Oh?” Rose looked a little miffed at this, and the Doctor tweaked her nose with a wry grin.

“She raised you, didn’t she? Single handed, and you didn’t turn out half bad…”

“That’s a fact, is it?”

“In fact, Rose Tyler, I think you’re pretty darned good!”


	4. Chapter 4

They were sitting around the huge scrubbed pine table in the mansion kitchen. They always seemed to have family meetings here with profuse amounts of cups of Jackie Tyler's famous tea on hand.

It was the next day for Jackie and Pete and the two little ones. The Sunday after they got married. It was longer for the Doctor and Rose. Much longer.

They, excepting Rose and the Doctor, had come home in the Tyler jet that morning, Jackie not sure if she wanted to travel the way her daughter and her son-in-law now did. At least not yet.

“But you do understand... we have to try?” It was Rose that was doing most of the talking and Jackie was looking tearful. She had grown very fond of Jacatance in the few days that she had been here and the thought of her leaving to live maybe billions of light years away was very upsetting. She knew they were talking sense but it didn't stop it hurting.

“I know sweetheart... but she's accepted us already... to give her another upheaval...”

“She's one of her kind... think about when she grows Jackie... I need to at least answer her questions...” The Doctor chipped in, his eyes soft and sympathetic, which disarmed Jackie who began to weep.

Jacatance had been watching the exchange in interest. She knew they were discussing her, although she didn't understand what they were saying. When Jackie got upset, she climbed onto her lap and her little fingers were at Jackie's temples for two reasons. One to offer comfort; it's possible for an empath to do this without words. And two to try and find out what they were all planning.

Jackie just smiled through her watery eyes and shook her head, pulling Jacatance into a big hug. Jacatance didn't complain, any contact with her grandmother was welcome.

Tony watched on with interest. He was nearly four and sometimes hugs from his mother were a bit embarrassing... only sometimes though. He was happy to let his new best friend take some off him. He didn't feel jealous or threatened in any way by this fascinating little person.

It wasn't long before Jacatance clambered back down and went off with him to play... she was intrigued by his collection of space ships and they had already spent hours replicating a battle that, from the detail, she can only have witnessed first hand. 

“Couldn't you leave her here while you search? It makes sense... you're on your honeymoon... she's happy here... Tony adores her... we can look after her... please?”

The Doctor hesitated, catching an amused look on Rose's face, It was the word 'honeymoon' that amused her. So far, their own private honeymoon had lasted over six months.

“It does sound like a good idea... however, I'm not completely comfortable abandoning her again... and also, I'm concerned about public interest...”

“We have no need to go anywhere... the mansion grounds are a big enough world for her for now. Our security since the Cyber war is second to none... she's safe here...”

“I suppose I could connect with her telepathically... try to explain that we could be gone a while...” Rose nodded with a little smile. But it was Pete who pointed out the obvious.

“I don't know how that thing out there works, Doctor... but from what I do understand, it's a time machine... surely the benefit of having the use of such a thing would be that it enables you to... um... travel in time?”

“You could come back every evening, does that mean you could always come back every evening?” Jackie asked thoughtfully.

“Mum... this TARDIS is new... so far she's been brilliant at coordinates and that... but she's still learning... there maybe times when we get stuck... Jacatance has to be aware of this!” added in Rose.

“Rose is right... my Old Girl had picked up many habits and usually took us where we were needed not necessarily where we wanted... it's all new to this one... and though you might say my Old Girl was unreliable, I knew her. This is all a learning curve for the three of us in a way...”

“That doesn't mean we won't try and come back regularly...” said Rose.

“Does that mean you are going to leave her here?” asked Jackie breathlessly.

“We'll see if we can make Jacatance understand and see how we feel about it then...” answered the Doctor, making eye contact with Rose again and taking strength in a tiny imperceptible nod.

Jacatance thought it was a game and laughed at the Doctor as he picked her up and put her on the counter in the playroom. She stilled when his fingertips went to her temples.

Through their bond Rose could see what he was doing and she tried to make her presence known as well. It wasn't till afterwards that the Doctor, with some pride, confirmed that she had been felt too.

He placed some images in Jacatance's head and Jacatance reacted positively to them. To Rose holding her for the first time, to her first telepathic contact with the Doctor. She showed how happy she was to have Jackie and Pete as her new family and how bonded she had become to Tony. 

Then the Doctor placed a picture of her parents in her head. Not as they were last seen, but as the Doctor saw them, alive and smiling. Jacatance was instantly overwhelmed and upset, but she allowed the Doctor to carry on. She understood what had happened. She had felt the sever of her bond with her Mother and Father as soon as they had died.

He placed a picture of Jacatance looking in the mirror and then of a whole segregation of Lullabeans, an older couple in the middle looking hopefully towards them. Jacatance was enthralled. Then, finally, he placed an image of himself and Rose in the TARDIS searching across the stars. Jacatance in Jackie's arms waving them goodbye. She was quick to understand and came out of the exchange nodding enthusiastically.

Jackie, of course, hadn't seen the images, just Jacatance's reaction, but when she jumped off the counter into her arms a fresh batch of tears welled up as she held the little one and smiled gratefully at the Doctor.

“Everything okay?” Jackie asked.

“She wants a ride first, but yes, she's very keen for us to start a search as soon as we can.”

“A ride?” Jackie looked puzzled.

“Yes... in the TARDIS, just a short trip, so she can see how safe we are... doesn't even have to be off world or back in time... just a little venture...”

“Not without me, you don't!” chipped in Jackie.

“Not such a bad idea... we could have a day out... go to the beach or something?” said Rose.

And so it was decided, the next day was Monday and the six of them were going to have a nice day out before Rose and the Doctor began their quest to find Jacatance's family and home world.


	5. Chapter 5

As they stepped out of the new TARDIS after a smooth and fast ride, Rose couldn't believe her eyes. She turned to the Doctor in shocked amusement.

“Weell... I only said it didn't have to be off world... I wanted them to see something spectacular before we go... make them understand why we want to do it...”

“Nothing to do with Jacatance at all, then?” She looked at her family who were staring at the wonderful scene around them.

“She can be free here without people staring and it's completely safe...”

“Is that two suns?” said Jackie very loudly.

It was a beautiful scene that swept before them. Glittering golden sands and a sea so blue it was almost blinding. The sky was a beautiful pink colour and there were, indeed, two suns. The beach stretched for miles and not another soul in sight.

“Yes, Jackie, but no harmful rays so no burning...”

Jacatance and Tony were already half way down to the sea and Rose whipped off her sun dress and ran after them. The Doctor's eyes followed his wife in her blue bikini for some time before catching his Mother-in-law's face. Then he stripped down to the faded cut off Levis that Rose had chucked at him and took off after them.

Jackie and Pete settled down on the picnic blanket.

“What's the point of having a sun that don't burn?” she asked him as they relaxed against each other.

“Well... he has a point about it being safe for the little ones, don't you think?”

“Yeah... but no burning means no tanning...”

**********

The sea was clear and calm and the toddlers were enjoying splashing about when the Doctor got there. Rose smiled at him, taking in the tight shorts and so much of her Doctor exposed in open air.

“What?” he grinned at her knowing full well what.

She waded out and dived into the water. It was so clear he could see her making her way towards the little ones who were squealing and trying to run from her.

It wasn't long before the four of them were splashing about and enjoying the water. There were even fish that were so interested in these strange creatures that they came right over and swam around them brushing at their legs.

Jacatance was fascinated by the bright purple and pink creatures and kept on trying to swim with them. Rose kept pulling her up until the Doctor realised that she was actually trying to link with them.

“Look... just let her... if she has difficulties we can soon pull her out...”

As soon as she was allowed, she was off, a pair of gills that, until that moment, had hidden behind her ears allowed her to swim gracefully under the water and at such a speed that Rose looked alarmed.

The Doctor smiled sweetly, shook his head and dived under with her, his respiratory by-pass coming into play.

As Rose watched them swimming under the water she felt a little left out but mostly she was overjoyed that these two alien life forms could share such a moment. Tony ran around spotting them and squealing with glee whenever one of them grabbed him. 

At lunch they had a huge picnic which Jackie had packed and the Doctor showed the children how brilliant he was at building sand castles. 

Pete fell asleep and they all took great pleasure in burying him to the neck. When he woke, he said that the sand was so soft that it felt like the Egyptian silk that Jackie insisted on at home.

Jacatance and Tony climbed into the hole Pete left when he got out and it wasn't long before they were napping, curled up together.

Pete and Jackie taking advantage of some peace and quiet, settled down too, Jackie with a book and Pete with some paperwork. So Rose and the Doctor slipped away for a swim.

They held hands as they went and Jackie peered at their retreating backs over her paperback. A little glow of pride at these two warming her heart. The last beach they had visited hadn't been so great as she recalled.

“Don't wander off too far!” she called after them and they turned together and waved.

“Shall we swim?” asked Rose as they strolled along.

“I thought you'd never ask...” he replied and broke away from her running into the water and diving. She was quick to follow, both of them strong swimmers, they struck out to sea, putting some distance between them and the TARDIS now only just visible, a square blob of blue on the beach.

They stopped, treading the calm water and he smiled at her, the sort of smile she had become more accustomed to since she had become his wife.

“Here?” she squeaked as he grabbed her around the waist.

“Why not here... they can't see us all the way out here... it's been ages, Rose..?”

“What were we up to just this morning, Doctor?”

“You don't want to? You've gone off it already?”

“No, you great idiot Time Lord... my mother will know and there is no way that I'm doing anything like that in front of my family... it would be wrong...”

“Have you seen yourself in this get-up Rose?” He twanged her bikini strap as he asked.

“You can talk, these shorts are practically criminal...” she couldn't help stroking his denim clad bum under the water.

“Mmmm... maybe we'll come back here alone, then we can skinny dip?” he muttered as he drew her in for a kiss.

“Sounds like a plan...” she replied as their mouths connected.

They spent a long while swimming in the beautiful water and by the time they got back the suns were beginning to set.

The Doctor wheeled out a state of the art barbecue and proudly lit it.

The six of them sat on the picnic blanket munching on steaks and kebabs while they watched the most spectacular sunset certainly that Jackie, Pete and Tony had ever seen.

When the sky was a deep shade of dark blue, full of stars with two moons replacing where the suns had been, the Doctor announced that it was time to leave.

The little ones were so sleepy that they hardly put up a fight, Jackie was a little more reluctant.

“We can come here again, though, yeah?” she begged. The Doctor caught Rose's amused face and nodded.

Finally everything was packed away and all six were inside, the Doctor was the last in taking a bit of time to check they hadn't left anything. Then he came up the ramp and strode over to the console with pride.

The TARDIS gradually vanished from view leaving just the square print where she had once stood.

But wait, there was something else left. In the scrub of grass behind where the TARDIS had been standing the ground had been dug up a bit... 

It looked like someone had planted something there...


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Rose woke to find that the Doctor had popped to Canary Wharf in the TARDIS to pick up a few things. She knew that all the debris from the Lullabean crash were being kept in the vaults at Torchwood 1 and she knew that there was a flight record in amongst it. As yet the Doctor had not had much luck deciphering it, but he hadn't spent much time doing so and now they did have a TARDIS, it might be a bit easier.

She lay there thinking about their new TARDIS, a worry clouding her sleepy face.

It made her a little uncomfortable to dwell on such a thing, she had been quick enough to judge the Doctor when she believed him to be a clone and nothing more. She had felt ashamed of herself on a couple of occasions since he had explained it to her and she worried a little about the poor half Time Lord in the other Universe.

The new TARDIS was wonderful... really. So far it had been accurate and gentle. The TARDIS wallpaper from the original had taken very well, and they had popped back in time during their honeymoon to get it to change into a police box. The Doctor, amused, had even disconnected the chameleon circuit at her request.

But it wasn't the same. The Original and Rose had had a very special bond and she knew what Rose needed at all times. She didn't feel any presence with this new one and she couldn't tell the Doctor, because he was so very proud of his new toy and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Maybe it was a good thing at the moment... the way they were.. she may have felt some inhibitions if she had the feeling that someone else was present during all their.... honeymooning.

She laughed at herself for censoring the sex even in her head. She sort of regretted the decision to spend their last night in her room at the Mansion now her train of thought was going in that direction... at least if she was in their makeshift room in the TARDIS, she could have gone and found him and pulled him away from his research just for a little while.

As if her mind was being read (and it frequently was these days) she heard the arrival of the new TARDIS below the window. It didn't even sound the same as the original. She sighed... she would have to have a conversation about it with him at some point, but not just yet.

“Hello...” He landed beside her with a grin and it didn't take her long to work out that he was naked, a pile of brown pin striped cloth left hurriedly on the bedroom floor.

“You read my mind?” she husked, pulling him into her arms.

“Not exactly read... let's just say our bond was tweaked... my physical presence was requested...”

“Now I like that trick... could come in very useful...”

**********

It was some time later that they arrived at the breakfast table looking a little flushed and freshly showered.

Jackie smiled happily, now fully accepting their new marital status and placing a huge breakfast in front of them. ('Had to keep their strength up...')

She was especially happy with the Doctor as that morning he had presented her with her very own super phone, which meant she could contact them wherever and whenever they were. Rose made a mental note to ask the Doctor if there was somewhere very safe that they could keep it as her mother had a real knack for calling at the wrong time, but she smiled happily for her.

“When are you off then?” Jackie asked nervously but she knew it was inevitable so there was no use pretending.

“Well... I think we're just about ready to go... we might not make it to Jacatance's galaxy for a while, I don't want to overstretch my new girl... she's still very young...” Rose bristled at his tone and he must have sensed some hostility through their link as he looked a little alarmed.

“Have you seen Jacatance?” asked Pete coming into the kitchen and looking everywhere, in cupboards, under the table and even in the big walk-in larder.

“She didn't come in here... when did you last see her?” Jackie was instantly concerned.

“Oh... only about five minutes ago... we're playing hide and seek... I'm not sure she completely understands the rules though... she was supposed to be it...”

They all then spent the next ten minutes looking for her. It was Rose that finally found her, an inner sense guiding her to the blue police box in the side garden.

Jacatance was sitting on the pilot seat happily chatting in her alien French tongue to this new TARDIS which seemed to have bonded with her very well.

Rose wasn't sure how to react to this and she was acutely aware of the Doctor picking things up from her by now. She sighed inwardly, knowing that they were going to have that conversation as soon as they were alone... The Doctor confirmed this by nodding at her over the rest of the family's heads.

Soon enough, they were ready to leave, Pete and Tony stood holding hands and slightly back while Jackie smothered them both with hugs and kisses, Jacatance in her arms, looking a little tearful.

Rose broke away and walked over to her brother and their father. She bent down to Tony.

“I want you to be a big boy and make sure you look after Jacatance really well... that’s your special job, okay?”

“Will you bring me back something from another planet, Rose?” he asked, nodding, his eyes shining.

“Course I will, I'll try and bring you a little something from every planet, okay?” She hugged him and then straightened up to her father.

“Bye Dad...” she hugged him, not seeing the tears in his eyes.

And then they were inside and the four watched as the beautiful blue box gradually and quietly disappeared, a slight breeze suddenly picking up and dissipating just as quickly.

Inside, the Doctor stood by the console eyeing Rose who was standing at the top of the ramp waiting for some kind of admonishment, but it didn't come. Instead, he walked up to her and hugged her tightly.

“Something bothering you?” he said into her hair.

“You know there is...” she said softly and a little ashamed of herself.

“Weell... I think I'm picking up some kind of jealousy but it's very faint and I could be wrong...”

“I can't feel it... I know we bonded with her, but I don't feel like I have... not like...” She stopped, bit her lip and raised her head to meet his eyes.

He smiled secretively, took her hand and whispered, ”Come with me...”


	7. Chapter 7

Rose allowed him to pull her into what had started out as their bedroom. Before it had been a very basic room, more like a dug out cave with a bed and a shower room in the corner.

Now it was the startings of a corridor with two doors on either side of the entrance into the console room.

“Doctor... what's happened?” she asked, a little shocked. He let go of her hand and pointed to the door on the left.

She smiled shyly and opened it. Inside was a proper room. In the centre there was a huge wooden bed that Rose felt she could almost get lost in. It reminded her of her old room aboard the old TARDIS and also of their room at the mansion.

There was a huge full length mirror and a dressing table with a few of the toiletries of her choice.

She giggled and bounced on the bed. It was firm and she lay back watching him with hooded eyes.

The Doctor shrugged off his jacket and went over to the large built in wardrobe that spanned one wall. He opened up one of the doors and pulled out a coat hanger. Rose could see a whole regimental line of brown pin stripes behind him. This intrigued her and she jumped up and went over to the other side of the wall and peeked in a door there.

This was obviously her side and she opened two doors wide to reveal a long neat row of her clothes... And some... There were items there that she hadn't seen since, well since she had had to leave them suddenly. There were things there that she had never seen just thought about or seen in a magazine. And the shoes! Rows and rows of footwear all neat and all just the right size. It was like someone had done a personal shop for her. A very personal shop.

“How?” she turned to the Doctor, wide eyed. He was still standing at his side of the wardrobe having taken off his tie and hanging it with all the others (a multitude of paisley prints) and was now slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

“Weell... you said you didn't feel a bond with her... But she's sure feeling one with us. She's young and you're new to all this telepathy business. Every moment, your bond is getting stronger. You both have to learn. I'm still learning her. But she's been in your head... found some of your favourite and most treasured things. And it goes on...” he was now without a top, but he wandered over to another door and opened that. 

Rose walked into one of the most luxurious bathrooms she had ever seen. The tub was so big you could practically swim in it. There were shelves and shelves of white fluffy towels and soaps and shampoos galore. In fact anything Rose might have needed... it was there. Along with quite a great deal of hair products for certain handsome Doctors to maintain their coiffed look.

“This is amazing... and so fast... she won't burn out her energy too quickly, will she? How did she get my red hoodie and those jeans went out last decade!”

“She's replicating things from your head and no, Rose, she wont burn herself out, we're good to go... she's grown a galley over the corridor as well. Fully stocked with all our favourites...” For some inexplicable reason, Rose got an image of shelves and shelves of different flavour jams. She started to laugh a little hysterically.

The Doctor by now was back in the bedroom, sitting on the bed, pulling off his Converses.

“It's so wonderful... what are you doing?” The Doctor stood and removed his trousers, carefully folded them and walked naked over to the wardrobe to hang them.

“What does it look like?” he smiled, turning to her, his manly bits bouncing pleasingly at her.

“Looks like you're getting ready for bed...” she smiled lazily and he grinned and nodded.

“Gotta test out this brute...” He sat down on the bed with a bounce as he said this.

Rose wasn't as methodical as he was about where her clothes ended up.

Later on, lying together in the big bath, strawberry bubbles surrounding them, their skin slippery, their face flushed, Rose began to ask about their plans.

“Where do we begin?” she had asked threading her bubble covered fingers in and out of his. She was lying in between his legs, her back against his stomach so she couldn't see his face, which stilled at her question.

“Well, of course this is a different Universe... and I'll have to learn about the differences as we go... that said I think we're best starting at Plamcha, it's still there, in the correct coordinate...”

“Plamcha?” she rolled around, feeling him pleasingly stiff on her upper abdomen. She wriggled about a bit making him grin.

“We never went there before because it's such a mish mash of a place... it was like the hub of the galaxy. A meeting place for all types. If it's like that here, It's the best place to ask if any one has spotted, or has any information about Lullabeans in the galaxy.”

“Mish mash?” Rose had slid down a little, and managed to capture him between her slippery breasts. She was grinning wickedly.

“You remember A New Hope?”

“Star Wars... really?”

“When they got to Mos Eisley Spaceport... Alec Guinness says 'You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... we must be cautious'... Well that's a pretty good description of parts of Plamcha...”

“That's why we never went before?”

“Wanted to keep you safe, didn't I?” he squeaked a little at the last as Rose rocked him between her cleavage.

“Super human, me, don't need to worry about all that...”

He stopped and pulled her up to his face by her elbows. “I will always worry, just because you've got an amazing immune system and super fast healing, doesn't mean you can't get hurt, or worse... so don't get complacent... you hear?”

“Yes, Doctor... I'll always take care if you do too..”

“Me?”

“Yup... don't want you regenerating any time soon, kind of fond of this face.”

Their eyes remained locked for quite sometime and then their bodies took over and even as they were moving in the bath, the new TARDIS was quietly turning it into a wet room as more and more water hit the floor.

Even more later on, in bed, wrapped up in each other's bodies as they were drifting in and out of sleep: “We are going to have a conversation about the elephant in the room at some point though...”

“Sorry?” He lifted his head up surprised, damp spikey hair sticking all over the place.

“There's a flipping great pole in here!”

The Doctor looked over at the offending dance pole and snickered.


	8. Chapter 8

“What's it doing there? She asked, sitting up suddenly a little thrown by his mirth.

“Weell... this new TARDIS hasn't just been reading your mind, Rose... seems she's dug this out from the murky depths of mine...” He still sounded a bit like he was gloating and Rose wasn't sure how to take it.

“Doctor... it's a little... well, a little sexist... I've never used my pole dancing techniques on a sexual level... it's what a lot of women would say was degrading...”

“Oh... I'm sorry, I hadn't thought of it like that... I didn't ask for it... I must have accidentally spent a little time thinking about it...”

“You've turned into such a bloke!” She turned to face him and he was looking a little ashamed but at this he turned on her.

“That's a bit sexist too... I'm a man... sorry to sink into stereotypes... but you've bought out a side of me I wasn't even aware I had... I honestly can't get enough of you and if I have little fantasies going on inside, I can't help it... I mean, if you were to parade around in a suspender belt and stockings I think I'd be hard put not to find it arousing...” He was a bit pink and Rose couldn't help but let out a guffaw of laughter. The Doctor looked injured.

“Oh, don't... our first tiff as a married couple! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh... it was just so funny hearing that coming out of your chops!”

“Tiff... really?”

“Just a little one... I'm sorry... I knew you wouldn't have requested it, really... not without talking it over first... it just freaked me out a bit...”

They lay back down, a little shocked at the domesticity of their quarrel and looked up into the eaves above their head.

“I'll ask her to move it... she'll be growing a gymnasium at some point, I'll get her to put it in there...” he said quietly, chastened.

“No... no don't...” she rolled on her side to face him. “I'm sort of interested now... I mean pole dancing... naked... I'd be worried about hurting myself... but if it fulfils a fantasy, who am I to say no... you've fulfilled enough of mine over the past few days... I might need a bit of practise, but leave it there... you never know...”

“Rose... that's just not fair... you give me a mini lecture about sexism and stereotypes and end it there?” Her eyes flickered down his body and remained on the tent sheet her words had created. She smirked and pulled back the sheet, licking her lips.

“Again? You know we do have a mission to go on, husband of mine?”

“We've got all the time in the world... “ he responded, his eyes glued to her mouth.

“Yup... we certainly do....” she replied scooting downwards...

**********

The next morning (TARDIS time) found them in the console room giggling over the controls like newly weds, which they were so that was all right.

He was showing her how to program their destination and this included much leaning over her, and pressing into her, breathing down her neck and her giggling and flexing against him.

“If you don't behave, it'll be up against the console, young lady... and we'll never get to Plamcha at this rate!” he husked into her ear.

She turned in his arms and grinned suggestively. “You're as bad as me, Doctor... and up against the console? Don't think that's never crossed my mind, mate!” His eyes rounded in shock, but his body reacted in the only way it could of late, he picked her up and sat her on the console. Then he walked into her, grinding himself against her. After a while he stopped and pulled back, a little mewl escaping her at the loss of contact.

“We have to set these coordinates, Rose...” He could see her disappointment at his words, but it was a shortly lived disappointment. ”So, strip from the waist down and hop back up there while I do that, okay?” Her mouth dropped open but she was very quick to comply, slipping down and undoing her jeans even before he had left her side. She watched him as he concentrated on the coordinates he had just been trying to show her. Her jeans and knickers were kicked away on the grating and she hoisted herself back up in record time, finding a smooth surface to perch upon. It was cold, but she didn't care.

There had been many a night on board the old TARDIS when she had dreamed of the Doctor (in any form) taking her on the console and now she was going to have fulfilment she began to feel a bit guilty about her outburst in the bedroom the previous day.

“Rose?” His voice knocked her out of her thoughts and she smiled weakly at him. “Second thoughts?” he asked stepping up to her, running his long, cool fingers up her thighs.

“All we do is shag now...” she blurted out with a pout, making him laugh.

“We're newly weds, sweetheart, it would be weird if we didn't!” He tweaked her nose and moved a little closer.

“We went away for six months during our wedding reception, Doctor! We spent three hours in Barcelona... the planet... and then we went back in time to get this TARDIS to change into a police box... took us about ten minutes... the rest of the time we spent shagging in the vortex!”

“It was essential for this TARDIS to acclimatise herself to the vortex... we needed an historical and a spatial visit for her to callibrate... it all fitted so well... and I haven't heard you complain about it... are you... complaining about it?”

“You know I love it... but I don't want it to define us... you know?”

“Rose... when we travelled together in the old Universe... you know, before we were so painfully separated... how often did you think about us being intimate?”

“What?”

“Fantasising in your room? In the shower? In the kitchen? In the Library?”

“Doctor, that was private!”

“I know, that's why I never said anything... but what you need to know is that it was the same for me, right from when we first met... even when I was a different face... oh, I wanted you so much... and there were times...” He stopped himself and stared at her, his Adam's apple moving slowly up and then back down his throat.

“We wanted each other, that much has already been established, I don't see your point...”

“We spent two years travelling together and wanting each other... then we were separated for another two, more for you... that's an awful lot of catching up in my book...”

“Catching up?” An amused expression crossed her face,“that's what you call it, is it?” Her tongue touched the corner of her mouth. He grinned, relieved.

“We've got a little time before we materialise at Plamcha... what would you rather do, Rose?”

“I don't think you need to ask, Doctor...” she replied, swinging her legs around his waist and pulling him in.

The sound of his zip slowly lowering was the only sound, even the console was oddly quiet. Then while the TARDIS whizzed through the vortex with great ease and speed, Rose found out that her fantasy paled against the real thing, that the console was angled in exactly the right way for the purpose they were using it for and that she would never ever have enough of her Doctor...


	9. Chapter 9

“Stick together, yeah?”

“Of course... I ain't losing you Doctor...” 

They were by the TARDIS doors at the bottom of the ramp, getting ready to open them on a new world, each with a hand on a respective door.

They stood staring at each other for a long beat and then, with huge smiles, they pushed the doors open together.

The noise and hubbub hit them first and they wandered into the crowds as if they had been there all along.

They were in a busy market place and there were all manner of beings around them.

“Doctor, to the left... Slitheen...” hissed Rose and he turned to her.

“No... well, maybe, but that's a family name, remember? He might be a Slitheen, but he's definitely a Raxacorycofallapatorian...”

“How do you know it's a he?” she hissed.

“Really, Rose? I'd of thought that were obvious being as they don't wear clothes!” He quickly pulled her on before the Raxacorycofallapatorian noticed them looking.

The stalls were fascinating, beautiful materials in fantastic colours, spices from across the Universe. People... Aliens... Universal Citizens all calling out their wares.

“This is just perfect!” Rose said happily and the Doctor relaxed, putting an arm around her, the two of them, a happy couple enjoying the scenes and sites of this colourful place.

They spent an hour wandering around the market place, bought a few knick-knack’s for the TARDIS and a glass mood sphere for Tony. This was a beautiful blue colour which had the ability to change colour depending on the person who held it's mood.

Rose was thrilled with the vibrant colours it showed as she held it, going from every shade of blue right through the whole spectrum of the rainbow finishing up with a pinky yellow colour.

“You is very happy ladee...” said the stall holder, a small elderly shrew-like creature.

When the Doctor held it, it went clear and then slowly and gradually it turned a deep, vibrant red.

“You is very hornee...” laughed the stall holder and the Doctor's face tried to imitate the glass sphere...

“I am not blushing! Time Lord's do not blush!” he laughed as they carried on.

“Are you tho?” said Rose as an afterthought.

“Sorry?”

“Are you horny?” He stopped, right there in the market place and pulled her to him, she had to strain her head up to look into his deep chocolate orbs.

“When it comes to you, Rose... I'm constantly 'horny'...” he bent to kiss her but not before she whispered with a smile against his lips.

“Quite right too...”

“Oi... not here, mate... we work here!” shouted one of the stall holders, but they were all laughing. It seemed their happiness was infectious.

“Let's eat...” said the Doctor, pulling her around to a line of welcoming looking eateries. But he took her straight past them and down a side street that wasn't quite as bright and jolly as the main street. “If we want to get information, we have to dig a bit deeper... be careful who you look at here... don't speak to anyone...” With that, he led her into a dark and dingy establishment that would indeed have given the cantina at Mos Eisley Spaceport a run for it's money.

“Lovely atmosphere, Doctor... a real ambience...” she said softly, but it was quite noisy, so she wasn't sure if he had heard.

They found a table, a booth where they could observe the room and have a conversation at the same time.

“Sorry about this... not the most romantic of places... but it's a very good place to start...”

“I love watching all the different... people...” She was going to say Aliens, but then realised that she was one of them.

There was an awful lot going on... a busy kitchen with a chef that had eight arms chopping furiously behind plastic doors. It looked like they were going to have an octopus cook for them.

There was a mixed group of people playing Trekken poker at the bar very loudly and it came to fists on a number of occasions.

A waitress on roller skates came over. She was orange, her eyelashes curled right in on themselves, her hair reached down past her waist and she sparkled as if she was covered in glitter. Her nails were so long that Rose wondered how she managed to take the order.

The Doctor ordered them something, Rose was too overwhelmed to speak.

“She's a Towiean... false everything... even the hair... when they're born, they look human and gradually they're transformed into that sort of thing. It's an atrocity, we must never go there unless we're going to free them all from the Surgeons...”

“You didn't ask her anything...”

“Not worth it... thick as... oh, that was quick...” He was cut short as the waitress returned with two steaming bowls of... was that soup?

“I didn't order this...”

“Ay?” She was chewing gum and looked very bored by everything.

“Never mind... thank you... it looks delicious...”

It was a very unusual flavour and they tentatively took sips of it, Rose smiling shyly at her husband over her spoon.

“What?” He was grinning, her smile was infectious.

“You selling?” A gruff voice came from above their heads. The Doctor looked up into the three eyes of a Wagmal. He was about seven feet tall and nearly as wide.

“Selling?” He asked, shaking his head.

“Human female... give you forty credits for her...” He was looking with one eye at Rose and she really didn't like it at all.

“Not for sale... I only just got her myself...” replied the Doctor, taking another spoonful and sniffing. She could see the anger flash in his eyes, but he was giving nothing away to any one else.

“Pity... I have a customer who's looking... mind you she's a bit on the thin side... where d'you get her?”

“I couldn't say... you deal in people?”

“I deal in anything... only with owner's permission... you after something?”

“Lullabean?”

“Kinky... nah... haven't seen one in years.. must be about fifty years back and that was in the Wagglan Nebula Galaxy... I could get hold of a Nomnoon...”

“Nope... we've set our hearts on a Lullabean...” The Doctor leaned over and squeezed Rose's hand. Three eyes focused on this contact and then the Wagmal pulled back.

“You don't come into Mulder's... sit in this booth and order Smilthy unless you're trading...” he said tartly.

“My mistake and I actually ordered Smets...” The Wagmal glared at him then turned and bellowed.

“Mandy! You're buggering up the orders again and you need to leave a reserve on this table... how many times do you need to be told?” Then he turned back to them. “I'm sorry about the mix up... meals on the house...” And he left them to it.

They stared at each other, stunned.

“I don't know whether to laugh or take this building down brick by brick...” the Doctor said eventually and Rose sniggered.

“I wasn't that offended...”

“I was! Trading in people with 'owner's permission'” He apostrophised the air with his index fingers.

“But you haven't had me long, Doctor... who knows how you'll feel in a couple of years!” He looked shocked and then realised she was teasing.

“Time to go...” he said abruptly. He stood up and put out his hand.

“Blimey... all right... Sir...” She also stood and bobbed him a curtsy much to the approval of the persons around them.

“You are a temptress...” he said to her when they were back out in the street.

“What did I do?”

“You don't have to do anything just look at you... I can't believe you didn't rise to that at all...”

“You told me not to say anything... not to look at anyone...”

“Since when do you do as I say?”

“Since we go to really rough saloons and have really horrible soup with really scary people around us!”

“You were scared?” He looked mortified.

“No... you were there...” He stopped walking and smiled down at her.

“We'll go somewhere nice next, I promise!” 

“After that soup... I don't think I could stomach anything else... can we just go home?” He smiled down at her, a warmth rushing through him. She had called it home.

“Tell you what... a nice jog back will probably do you the world of good?”

“Oh? Keen to get back are we?" she asked coyly.

“I'm a horny Doctor, what can I say?” he grinned and Rose laughed.

“Oh, I think that a horny Doctor is a wonderful thing to behold... come on!”

She took his hand and they ran laughing all the way back to the TARDIS.


	10. Chapter 10

“So... are we going out there again?” Rose was tracing little patterns around his nipples lying in the crook of his arm.

“Oh... I don't think so... if the Wagmal was correct, there haven't been any Lullabeans in this area for over fifty years...”

“You'd leave here on one bloke's say so?” She sat up and looked into his happy, sated face.

“That wasn't just any bloke though... he was Mulder of Mulder's... the old Mulder never traded in people though...” The Doctor looked troubled.

“Mulder? I don't suppose his wife is called Scully, is she?”

“Spouse... he was... why d'you ask?”

“Never mind... you're gonna let them continue in slavery, then?”

“No... course not... but we're on a mission, Rose... I'll return to that at another time... probably before he even starts trading... and you won't be coming to that...” That same dark looked crossed his face... the one that made Rose shiver within. She never wanted to be on the receiving end of that one.

“You gonna go all Stormy on his ass?” she asked with a smile and it broke the ice. He laughed and rolled over onto her. “You're going wear me out!” A worried look crossed his face. “I'm joking... not possible!” she laughed at him.

“Sorry, Rose... you're my outlet... I need you too much...”

“Well... it's a dirty job...” she sighed but the dark look was back.

“If anything happened to you... you make me vulnerable... you always did, but now, now we're bonded... it's tenfold...”

“Well... I thought as a couple, we might be stronger. Just because you have to take more care, doesn't mean you're weak...”

“I didn't say weak. I said vulnerable...”

“Would you have it any other way?”

“I could tie you to the bed posts and go out and do what I have to do...” he teased.

“Very funny... makes you no better than Mulder out there... mind you being tied to the bed posts... that has possibilities....”

“Rose Tyler...you wanton hussy!” A troubled look now crossed her face. “What is it?”

“Nothing... don't matter...” But he was having none of that. He delved straight in to her head and fished out the information he needed.

“You don't want to be Rose Tyler any more?”

“Oh, I'm just being very human... and it has got fashionable to not take the husband's name these days... it's just that I wanted to be a Mrs and I am but I don't know what Mrs I am!”

“Okay.... how about Mrs Doctor?” Rose laughed out loud.

“I was serious...” she pouted.

“What's in a name? That which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet...” he quoted their wedding vows supplied by the great bard himself.

“No... stop it...”

“I don't mind being John Tyler on occasion...”

“That would make me Mrs Tyler and that's my Mum...”

“I grew up in the house of Lungbarrow... I don't think Rose Lungbarrow has the same ring to it though, do you? Besides... I gave that name up aeons ago...” He looked as if he had a bad taste in his mouth for a moment, then he suddenly got up and walked naked over to his side of the wardrobe.

“No, you're right... we're the Doctor and Rose Tyler, Stuff of Legends... what are you up to?” He was at the doors, his naked bum wiggling as he got something out of it. He turned back to her, four paisley printed ties in his hands.

“Just wanted to try something out...” he replied strolling back to their bed with an eager grin.

***********

The Wagglan Nebula Galaxy was hard enough to find, hidden beside a black hole, it would have been easy to get sucked in. But going back fifty years and then past the black hole was a triumph for our new girl and he was very pleased. It was the very first time Rose had a feeling of something there as he was loudly congratulating her skilful manoeuvres.

She was bristling with a feeling of accomplishment. It was new to Rose and she wasn't sure if she should get involved with it, but on the Doctor's say so, she patted the console and said, “Well done.” She felt ashamed as she realised that the very spot she patted was where her naked bottom had been resting the previous day. The Doctor grinned and shook his head.

“Don't waste the worry, what we do physically has no bearings on her... it's all the same... eating... sleeping... shagging... it's our minds that interest her.”

“What about when we have really great mind sex... or when we have really great mind sex and... and... well the whole enchilada?”

“There is such a thing as a mind lock, Rose... she isn't coming in unless I want her too...” Rose had an image of a brain with a key sticking out of it. “Precisely!”

He took her hand and pulled her to the doors. Rose looked down and saw the red marks and rubbed her finger over them.

“They'll heal in next to no time... don't waste time over worrying about it...” he dismissed them easily enough.

“Think we went a bit far? Got a little carried away?” she murmured.

“I didn't...” He pulled at her wrists, opening out her palms and letting his fingers trace over her pulse spots. “You, on the other hand are a she-devil in the bedroom... next time... and yes, there will be a next time... I will instigate a safe word so that if you get a bit rough, I can stop you... that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, didn't notice how tight the ties were until afterwards.” He was grinning all the while and Rose was rewarded with a mental flashback of their bedroom antics from the previous night. She nodded, accepting that he really didn't mind (quite the opposite) and set her eyes on the doors.

It was a quiet, dull place by comparison to the last planet and Rose shivered at the chill wind that ran up the high street that they had landed at the top of. The Doctor put an arm around her, drew her in and she instantly felt warmer from the contact.

“Bit bleak...” she said softly.

“Serious lot, the Wagglans. But this is the best place out of all to start. Best places for information are usually libraries.”

“These are all libraries?”

“No... not all. There are dwellings and a few shops... a great deal of libraries...”

“I think I'd find a planet full of libraries quite intimidating... never know what might be lurking amongst the books!” She laughed, not seeing the look on his face.

He pulled her into the first building... a silence blanketed the place, a few pairs of eyes glanced up briefly and then quickly back down to whatever they were reading.

They approached the counter and a wispy old woman looked up over horn rimmed cat's eye spectacles.

“Hello, we're looking for information on Lullabeans...” smiled the Doctor politely. The woman, who appeared to be human, put her fingers to her lips and moved out from behind her desk. 

Rose's eyes rounded as the librarian emerged. Her lower half appeared to be that of a giant slug.

“Did your mother never tell you that it's rude to stare?” The Doctor whispered down to her. 

The librarian slid to the opposite end of the library indicating that they should follow her, which they did, being careful not to slip on her trail.

She showed them to an archive of old, endangered and extinct species and left them to it.

Rose was giggling silently as she slithered away and the Doctor looked at her with mock disapproval, shaking his head.

It soon became clear that there was little information on Lullabeans until Rose spotted the word 'Naissance' in amongst a jargon of words she didn't understand. It was indeed, about Jacatance's family, her ancestors at least. The Doctor, read the article, scanned a copy on his Sonic and got up to leave.

“That's it?” hissed Rose.

“That's as much as we'll get from here."

“Ssshhh...” Came the call from all around them.

Outside Rose looked at him questioningly.

“Obviously, they're a dying race... rare. But it did say that the Naissance family first came from a planet a long way away from here... a place called 'Consonance'... I think we might have to go right across this Universe, Rose...”

“How long will that take?”

“About fifty billion light years...”


	11. Chapter 11

As they made their way back towards the TARDIS, they passed a little gift shop and Rose stopped, pulling his hand back.

“We have to stop... I promised Tony...”

“Well... I never was one to pass up the opportunity, was I?” he smiled as they turned and went inside.

It was dark and dusty and not at all what either of them expected. So much clutter and it smelt old and damp.

“Hello!” the Doctor called out and there was a little movement to the back of the shop behind the counter. A scurry, as if whoever it was had been startled and didn't quite want to be seen.

“Shop!” Rose joined in, laughing a little nervously. A door slammed shut and they looked at each other, clearly startled.

They moved around the counter to discover no one there, so the Doctor put his hand on the handle of the door that was partially hidden behind a rather grubby curtain.

“Hang on though, Doctor... what if it's some kind of booby trap?” He stopped at this, an impressed eyebrow raising at her and got out his Sonic Screwdriver. He passed it all around the frame of the door and put his ear to the wood.

“It's clear..” he hissed and opened it.

They entered together not really knowing what to expect. It was a little room, a kitchenette against one wall, a small table and two tiny chairs. There was a little floral sofa by an equally small fireplace and sitting in and armchair to the other side of it was a very little man.

He had his fists up to his nose, and his knees crunched to his chest. His eyes were tightly shut.

“We can see you, you know?” said the Doctor softly. A small pair of black beady eyes flew open.

“Trespassers!” he hissed very quietly.

“No, customers... we thought something was wrong, the way you rushed off, had to make sure you were all right.” The man, made no response so Rose walked over to the sofa and sat down by him, trying to make herself seem as small as possible so as not to intimidate him.

“Are you all right?” she asked softly.

“You shouldn't be here... Gladstone will get in such trouble if they... did any one see you come in... why did you come in?” he whispered, his voice so quiet that they had to strain to hear.

“It's a shop... why wouldn't we come in?” asked the Doctor loudly. But Rose silenced him with a look.

“Is that your name... Gladstone?” The frightened little man looked from one to the other of them and then his eyes settled on Rose and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. “Well, that's a lovely name... and do you live in this lovely little shop on your own?”

“It used to be a lovely little shop once upon a time... the pride of the Galaxy, people came from all over to buy from us... not now though... not since my Gladys...” It was a very hushed outpouring of words that stopped abruptly with a hiccuping sob.

“Gladys... your wife?” asked Rose gently. He nodded. “Did she... is she...?”

“I don't know... they took her away... eighty three years we've been married and they took her, said that it was their way of keeping me quiet... oh... I've said too much!”

“They? Who's they?” Now the Doctor was interested, taking a seat beside his wife and gazing upon Gladstone as if he were the only thing that mattered in the Universe.

Gladstone got up and scampered over to the door, shutting it and running back.

“They've taken over everything... it's like they're waiting for something and we all have to do as we're told. Gladys was always a bit of a rebel, bless her... wasn't having any of it... they took her three months ago... told me she would be killed if I said anything. Now I am saying something... I don't want my Gladys to die... but how long can an old man wait?” He sniffled, getting out a large hankie and loudly blowing his nose.

“Well, Gladstone... you have no need to worry... help is here now...” said the Doctor, getting up swiftly and pacing the little room.

“Well, we'll try... “ added Rose, patting his tiny hand, ”you say they're waiting for something... any idea what?”

“No idea... there are spies all around... don't know who to trust... you strangers were just supposed to pass through... no one gave me instructions if any one stopped!”

“Wait a minute... you knew we were coming?” The Doctor stopped dead still in front of him.

“We all know someone was coming, asking questions... was the library not enough?”

“I thought it was, but now... no... I don't think so. Right, Gladstone.. you need to tell me what happened from the beginning...”

And so, he sat there, quietly recounting his story of strange, dark creatures invading their peaceful planet, taking hostages and threatening them to keep their silence.

“And where do they stay, these dark creatures?”

“They're in the church at the bottom of the hill...” He was weeping openly, his face in his hands as if his wife were already dead.

The Doctor and Rose went to one side and reached an agreement of a plan pretty quickly.

“Gladstone, I think for now, the safest place for you would be in our ship... we can help your settlement from there and you could be in danger if we leave you here.” Rose's tone was gentle and Gladstone's trust was easily won by it.

They whisked him off between them as fast as they could and popped him on the pilot seat while he gazed around him.

“Oh my goodness!” he kept on exclaiming a little like Alice's white rabbit and Rose sat by him with her hand on his to keep him calm while the Doctor set coordinates to land right inside the lair of the kidnappers.

“You stay here, and we'll go and find your Gladys, we won't be long...” said Rose even though she could see that the Doctor didn't want her to come.

“You could stay and look after him?” he suggested as she joined him at the bottom of the ramp.

“Yeah... like that’s gonna happen...” she said, shaking her head.

The church was dark and quiet, seemingly empty but a little light to the side of the alter caught their attention and they quietly crept towards it.

He checked the door and then slowly opened it. Inside there was a hubbub of noise and frivolity. They all seemed to be young ladies of ages between eighteen and twenty. They were chatting and laughing, braiding each others hair, painting each others nails. There was even a tiny lady standing on a desk while another was pinning up a wedding dress on her.

They all turned and stared at the pair when they arrived.

“Hello! Not sure if we should have a man in here, even if he is rather dishy!” said one girl, setting them off into a cacophony of giggles.

“Hello... I'm the Doctor... we were under the impression you girls are being kept here against your will?”

“Is someone sick? Did anyone call a doctor?” It was the same girl that had spoken before, so the Doctor addressed her.

“We're looking for someone...”

“Aren't we all... handsome?” Another burst of giggling filled the room.

“Is there anyone called Gladys here?” Rose stepped forward taking over and taking his hand in an unconscious show of territory.

“I'm Gladys...” said a little voice. It was the bride to be standing on the desk, she blushed and looked shyly at her friends.

“But you can't be!” exclaimed Rose but the Doctor shushed her with a squeeze to her hand.

“Gladys, there's someone out there that needs to see you...”

“Well... that's fine... hope it's Mum, she hasn't come yet, but if it's that Gladstone, you send him packing... I told him he's not allowed to see me the night before, it's bad luck!”

Rose didn't speak, her brain was working overtime but the Doctor seemed very calm.

They walked Gladys out and as she approached the TARDIS she started to chatter nine to the dozen believing it was a belated wedding shower treat. The other girls hovered in the doorway to see but didn't come out.

“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed Gladys as she entered the great cavern of the console room, her eyes roving around in wonder.

Gladstone jumped off the pilot seat as best he could given his age and size and gasped.

“We found her, Gladstone... but I think there might be something you may have missed out...” Gladstone's little mouth dropped open.

Gladys stared at Gladstone politely and looked at Rose and the Doctor waiting to be introduced.

“Can I have a word?” Gladstone asked in an aside.

Huddled together in a corner of the same cavernous room. “That's my Gladys, but something has gone wrong... that's my Gladys like the day I married her... eighty three years ago...”


	12. Chapter 12

“Doctor, how can that be?” Rose asked him again as he concentrated on the screen in front of him.

“Something's not right... some kind of time slip... almost like someone is stealing time... sound familiar?”

“You think there's Tricksters about?”

“Something like... Rose... I want you to talk to Gladys, ask her about all the other girls in there... find out their names and I can try and get onto their data, find out when they're from.” He turned to her briefly, looking over his specs at her, sending her stomach looping, he grinned briefly, and hummed at her but soon went back to the screen.

“Tell you what, why don't I take Gladys back, see if I can find out their names and dates of birth?”

“Did anyone tell you you were brilliant lately?”

“Maybe a couple of times...” she grinned, her tongue escaping her mouth as she bumped his side with hers.

“Stop it, we have company, you hussy!” he breathed, a dilation to his pupils clearly evident. Their eyes lingered on one another and it was Rose that broke away, turning back to the two little people sat awkwardly on the pilot seat.

“Come on Gladys, we'd better get you back!” Rose called and her heart strained a bit as Gladys jumped, relieved, off the seat and pattered over to her, Gladstone's eyes boring wistful holes into her back.

“See ya!” Rose threw at the Doctor as she and Gladys left without a backward glance.

The door opened again seconds after they were back in the church and the Doctor poked his head out. “Rose!” She swung round grinning and walked back to him, “take care, we don't know quite what we're dealing with... don't want to lose you in a time lock...”

“Well... if that happens, I'm pretty sure you'd get me out...” She walked into him and they hugged, Gladys in the background looking everywhere but at them. A quick kiss and he was gone.

“Oh, you must be soooo in love!” Gladys said, a touch of envy in her voice and Rose smiled down at her.

“Yup... never gets stale, only been married...” she paused wondering how long she could say they had been married for, pondering on the date now and settled with, “a short while, but yeah, madly in love, that's us!”

“Makes me worry that I won't be enough for my Gladstone... I do love him, but I don't know him that well yet... he proposed on our second date... that's usual for here...” she added as an afterthought seeing Rose's shocked expression.

“I'm sure you'll have a long and happy marriage,” Rose said, in fact she knew it, but she couldn't say that, could she? “So, all your friends in there... known them long?”

“I've known Ivy and Moll for years... the rest, not so much... strange, isn't it? They just arrived at my final fitting, been such fun though... I still don't know why my fitting is in here, though...” Gladys gazed into space thoughtfully as they got to the vestibule door. “Ah well... welcome to the fun!” she threw back as they entered the room.

“Come and take that frock off before it gets ruined!” screeched a girl from across the room and everyone erupted in laughing cheers.

“Hi everyone, this is Rose... she's going to be joining us... someone get her a drink!”

Pretty soon Rose was amidst a shower of girly, with a glass of sparkling wine in her hand (at least she thought it was wine) she began to pick her way through the happy throng.

“Hey... I'm Rose.”

“Charlia... pleased to meet ya...”

“Yeah, fun here innit? What's your star sign?” This was a bit of a shot in the dark... horoscopes might not have made it out into the Universe after all.

“I'm a Leo... roarr....” Charlia giggled, a bit weary for the wine.

“Oh really? That would make you July?” hazarded Rose.

“July the third, yup...”

“What year?” Charlia looked puzzled then burped and giggled again.

“Fourteen Apples after Orange, why'd you ask?”

“Just wondered... “ Rose said and moved away.

And so it went on, Rose gradually making her way around the party, logging the information in her head because she knew that, even if she couldn't remember, the Doctor would be able to access them through their link.

“Rose... come here...” It was Gladys, she was sat on her chair and she patted the one next to her. “You're my new friend... I'm the bride and you've been talking to everyone but me... it's my turn!” She was really quite drunk and Rose gave her arm a little squeeze. A troubled look crossed Gladys's face.

“Something wrong?”

“Sometimes it seems like this day goes on forever and meeting you and your husband has been such a treat... I keep thinking about that little old man... he looked so sad... I feel like I know him, but I don't know anyone that old though!”

“Age is nothing, you know... and if you search your feelings long enough, you'll remember who he is...” said Rose softly.

“Look at me, I'm crying and I don't even know why!” sobbed Gladys. Rose pulled the little lady into her arms and hugged her.

Then the lights went out.

“What's going on?” whispered Rose, but Gladys had gone rigidly still in her arms.

It suddenly went deathly cold and Rose could see a pale blue light drifting around the room, seemingly scanning each person. As the light hovered over each one, Rose could see their faces, frozen and inanimate as if they had been paused. She knew she had to hide and very carefully, she unwrapped herself from Gladys and dropped to the floor.

She managed to wriggle under the chairs just before the light passed by and it missed her.

When it had scanned all the other occupants in the room , the blue light clicked out. There was a long pause and then suddenly they were all drenched in daylight and all the girls woke up.

“Gladys, come here! We gotta do the final fittin'” screeched one girl excitedly.

Gladys jumped up as Rose wriggled out from under the chairs. No one seemed to pay her any attention as they got on with the things that Rose remembered they had already done before. Decorations were being sorted again. Introductions to girls who knew each other before, food that had been eaten was been uncovered fresh and untouched. The bottles of wine were unopened on the table.

As Rose shifted to the door, Gladys was climbing on to the desk in her wedding dress.

She opened the door and stepped out right into the waiting arms of the Doctor.

“Rose!” He swooped her up in his arms , tears in his eyes.

“Doctor, whatever's the matter?”

“You've been gone four days, I couldn't get to you, every time I went through that door, the room was either empty or empty of you... I've been trying to get to you since about an hour after you left!”

“I've only been gone an hour, Doctor!”

Back in the TARDIS, he sat her down on the pilot seat while she told him everything she knew and everything she saw.

“Where's Gladstone?” she asked when she had finished.

“I found him a room, he was very tired. He's been pottering around the ship making himself at home. He can cook, you know?”

“Yeah? You were already replacing me with a new companion? Only been gone an hour!” she joked.

“Four days and no one could ever replace you, I really thought I'd lost you, Rose...”

“Never gonna happen... I'll always find my way back to you, Doctor...” They looked at each other longingly, only one thing on their mind (well it had been four days!) but knowing that there was someone else in the TARDIS stopped that going any further.

“Better get those dates from you then, see if we can sort this out...” His fingers went to her temples and her eyes fluttered shut.


	13. Chapter 13

There were twelve women in the group and their true ages ranged from nought to one hundred. The Doctor was very concerned in particular about Florence, the newborn, and decided that she was the priority.

“Why Florence?” Rose asked a little perplexed.

“Because all these women have been taken out of their time lines and replaced with an older version of themselves, but with Florence, it's the other way around. She's eighteen now, but somewhere out there, she's newborn and on her own. Her parents must be frantic.”

“But I don't understand, why here, why now... there must be a connection?”

“We're going to get them all out of there now and return them to their right time lines, I know when they all belong now, and I'm pretty sure their counterparts will be in those places and they will know when they belong..”

“And Gladys?”

“Well, Gladys, Ivy and Moll will be the easiest except that whatever took them is here and I'd rather get everyone out of the way before I deal with him...”

“Him?”

“Or her... or them... whoever it is they chose the wrong person to deal with...” He got that look on his face, the Oncoming Storm dark one that always seemed to quieten Rose.

So, they invited the dozen girls aboard the TARDIS on a ruse that it was part of the bridal shower and the Doctor immediately pushed the ship into the vortex.

When they discovered that the Blue Box was, in fact an amazing spacecraft, they were a mixture of excitement, awe and fear. When they discovered the 'darling little man' in the Galley they were all very high pitched indeed.

“Aw... look at his little face... Gladys he could be your Gladstone in a few years!”

“Don't be daft!” she replied, a mixture of confusion and something very like jealousy.

“What's your name?” Moll asked him and he looked at Rose in desperation.

“Moll, you're such a flirt... leave the poor bugger alone!” chimed in Rose winking at Gladstone.

It wasn't long before they were at time destination number one... one hundred and eighteen years into the future to rescue the baby Florence.

The Doctor managed to locate her and took her from her cradle in the orphanage before anyone discovered them. (This is a bit worrying, I know, but he is The Doctor, he really knows what he's doing, believe me!) He had worked out that they were all from Wagglan, he just had to read each and every time line to ascertain when they each came from. 

The girls were all over the precious baby and while they were cooing, the Doctor quickly took Florence outside. Immediately she knew where she was and it was as if she were just waking from a dream. She smiled at the Doctor nodded her head and was off down the road towards her home.

Eighteen years back from that and the TARDIS materialised in a nursery. He placed the tot into her crib and just managed to get the TARDIS out of there as Florence's mum came in to see if she was ready for her night feed. 

“They didn't even know she was gone?” said Rose as he began to key in the coordinates for their next part of the mission.

“Nope... and so far as she was concerned she went on a little journey in her sleep, she was well treated at the orphanage... so no scars.”

“You're so impressive...” she grinned.

“I rather think so...” he smirked and pushed the handbrake off.

And so it continued, back and forth, much easier this time because they were swapping older versions of themselves in various situations, be it that old lady on the bench looking lost or that one serving tea in a café. The older versions recognised themselves and a swap was easily done. If the younger versions had to explain their three month absences that was the least of their worries. 

Finally, they were down to three, Gladys, Ivy and Moll.

“Back to your wedding day with your maids of honour?” said the Doctor with a grin. Gladys looked a little worried and took Rose to one side.

“I've worked out who he is, that old man... he's Gladstone, only he's old...”

“He's still your Gladstone, though, you're still very much in love... think about it, on the eve of your wedding there's an older version of you feeling lost and missing her husband, you need to swap over and get back to your time line.”

“But how can I love him when he's so... so old...?” she whispered, shocked at herself for saying the words, but saying them nevertheless.

“Like I said, he's still your Gladstone and you're old too, with him, you grow old together... it's very romantic...” 

“I'm an old man now, Petal, but I can still shake it with the rest of em down the Social...” Gladstone interrupted them, shifting over to their corner of the console room.

“The Social still there?” she asked him.

“Oh yeah... same family running it... we got the little shop too, inherited from my parents...”

“So we just live the same life, never do anything different?”

“There it is, same Gladys, always wanted something different... we had a few holidays...”

“Oh, Gladstone... I don't know if I want that life... why am I marrying you if all we have to look forward to for the rest of our lives is a little gift shop and the Social on a Saturday night?”

“Love!” The Doctor shouted from across the room and they all turned to him. “You mustn't know what life holds along the way... that's for you to find out. That you love each other is enough and he's been so miserable without you... tell you what... wedding present from us... we'll get you back into the right time lines and when you're wed, we'll come back for you and take you out there... you can come with us for a while for your honeymoon... get that wanderlust out of your system!” Rose looked at the Doctor with rounded eyes. Was he seriously inviting someone else on honeymoon with them?

“You'll have to persuade younger me first!” wheezed Gladstone, highly amused and Gladys looked at him with a knowing grin.

“Don't you worry about that... I have my ways with him...” Gladstone went a little pink and started to cough which actually made Gladys giggle.

“We're here... Eve of your wedding, lets go and find you three old ladies...”

As it happened it wasn't a hard thing to do, Gladys, Ivy and Moll had stuck together and they were discovered in the Bingo Hall having a whale of a time and were a little put out that it was time to return.

“There ain't nothing like the old days...” sighed old Moll as Rose helped her up the ramp.

“You're right there...” agreed old Gladys. Old Ivy just nodded.

The three younger ladies stood outside the TARDIS.

“You promise you'll come back for us tomorrow, Doctor?” Gladys looked from Rose to the Doctor anxiously.

“We will, just got to sort out your kidnappers and we'll be back... good luck tomorrow...”

“Yeah, you only get married once, make the most of it!” said Rose giving them all a hug.

Inside Gladstone was holding onto Gladys as if she might disappear again if he let go.

“You're such a silly old fool, I knew I'd be back sooner or later...” she patted his back, but anyone could see she was as glad to see him as he was her.

The TARDIS materialised right outside the shop and Ivy and Moll left to go home down the road.

“Thank you for bringing her back to me...” the little man pumped the Doctor's hand, his eyes watering. Gladys, meanwhile, was unlocking the little shop's front door. She went inside and they all jumped at her loud voice.

“Gladstone Amberley Wainwright! What in the name of Waggla have you done to our shop?”

Gladstone's face dropped and with a worried sigh he left them to go and explain to his wife. 

“Right... now for these Time stealers...” Rose moved next to the Doctor as he took his place at the console.

“You invited them along for their honeymoon?” she asked softly.

“Yup... big place this, they can have the west wing, won't hear a peep out of them...”

“Are you always going to invite people along?”

“If they need to come along... it does come with the territory somewhat... do you really mind?”

“No... I really like them, well I haven't met the younger Gladstone yet... I just would have liked to have been asked, not asked, consulted... oh, you know what I mean...”

“Rose if you invited someone along, I wouldn't mind... well if he were a bit pretty I might have something to say. This is all part of travelling the Universe. We make friends, companions... show them what it's all about. We know Gladys and Gladstone live a long and happy life together, perhaps its coming away with us that sealed it?”

“Oh, I never thought of it like that...”

“We'll definitely get alone time, if that's what's worrying you?”

”The thought hadn't even crossed my mind...” Her tongue touched the corner of her mouth.

“Minx... right we're in the church...”

“What are we gonna do?”

“I'm going to sort them out... you're staying here... no, Rose, I'm putting my foot down... they're obviously stronger with females and I think it's going to get a bit nasty in there, you won't want to witness that.”

“How can I possibly let you go alone after you saying that?”

“Oh no, Rose, nasty for them... not for me... they stole four days off us... no body does that to us...”


	14. Chapter 14

She watched him closing the vestibule door biting her lip. They had just had a mini argument and he had left rather abruptly. She was mortified. He had ordered her to stay there like a good little woman and then stormed off to uncertain danger.

She was in a mini storm of her own, her insides were churning with equal amounts of anger and fear.

He knew this and still he went without a second thought for his own safety. This was not what she signed up for. They were partners, life partners, love partners, travelling partners... well, partners in everything. So his shutting her out of this was so not on. Also, what if something happened to him and he couldn't get back?

She stood just outside the TARDIS, arms folded, fury emanating from her not knowing what to do. And then she felt his presence in her head, their bond firm and true. Whispered words, an apology, a letting her be there by a kind of proxy. She would know if he needed her, but she wasn't in any danger. She was still cross with him, but it did make her feel a lot less left out.

She kept still, waiting to sense anything out of the ordinary, wondering if his storm would spill over into their bond if he broke.

Inside the Doctor waited, his exasperation at Rose finally calming. She was right to be angry with him, he'd given her no lea way, but he wasn't about to risk these beings stealing any more time from them... any more time from anybody full stop.

Suddenly it went black and the temperature dropped just as Rose had described. The Doctor stood,arms folded, in the centre of the room waiting for them to discover that this place was empty all bar him.

A blue beam of light began to scan the room and finally found the Doctor. The pause button didn't work on him, he wasn't human, and the creature working the device was so busy trying to find out what species the man in front of him was, that it didn't see the Doctor coming towards him.

“Aeeeiiii!” it squealed as the Doctor pulled it up by the scruff of its neck. The blue Groske dangled in the air looking forlorn and angry, his legs wiggling.

With one flick of a switch on his Sonic and the light and temperature were restored. The Groske blinked at the Doctor.

“Time stealer!” hissed the Doctor.

“Mercy!” squeaked the Groske.

“Why should I have mercy when you have taken all these people out of time... stolen their lives?”

“Anything, Sir... anything!”

“Tell me who's bidding is this, Groske, and I might have some lenience with you!” The Doctor was at his most imposing. It would take a very brave or stupid person to mess with him.

“I don't know!” sobbed the Groske. The Doctor lowered him down.

“Trickster?”

“No!” The Groske was now on his little knees, “I never met them... they hired me to hide them... to make a decoy... they want to hide from you!”

“From me?”

“And the... Wolf...” His voice was very quiet, he was speaking to his lap.

“You must have some information about them?”

“They know you will be at Wagma in fifty years, you were to come here and then on to Consonance... you had to stop at the shop, didn't you?”

“Who hired you?” asked the Doctor again trying to compute what the Groske was telling him. Someone was trying to stop them. But who?

“I don't know, it was all done anonymously...”

“You must have some contact, a place?”

“Inberia... they found me there... that's where I was contacted, that's where my payment will go to... would have gone to...”

“Inberia? Right, that's where we're off to, then!”

“We?” The Groske looked as if it was going to be sick.

“Yup... gotta take you along, see if you're information is correct...”

“All right... not Inberia... Romules...”

“Now that makes much more sense, is that your home?”

“Yes... I have a family there...”

“Right... what's your name Groske?”

“K...K...Kevin...” he stammered looking wide-eyed.

“You're coming with us... we'll take you home... and if I get a good lead on your employers, I may recompense you but only if you promise to stop messing with time ever again. I curse the day a Trickster taught you how!”

“But my ship?”

“If it's that piece of junk that was tied up out by the boundaries of the town last night, then it's been deactivated and I've confiscated it...”

Kevin looked miserable, but he had to accept what the Doctor was saying. There was no use trying to escape, no means of it. This strange unhuman man was his only means home now.

When they opened the vestibule door Rose was right outside it looking a little sheepish. When the Groske saw her, he hid behind the Doctor.

Nothing was said, just a brisk walk back to the TARDIS with the Groske keeping as much distance between Rose and himself.

When they were in the TARDIS, after the Groske had gone into hysterics over the marvellous ship, when he was sat subdued again on the pilot seat, Rose confronted the Doctor.

“He's a Groske, name of Kevin... hired anonymously to stop someone being discovered by us. We're going back to his home planet, take him back to his family and try and trace his employers.”

“Why's he so scared of me?”

“He doesn't like wolves... particularly not angry ones... seems I was wrong... he was never a danger to you...” Rose nodded, that was as good as an apology she was going to get... for now.

The Doctor set in the coordinates and moved the TARDIS into the Vortex.

“Right... we have a bit of time before we get there... come on Rose...” The Doctor went towards the corridor.

“What about him...?”

“The TARDIS has been told, she'll keep him there... he's on lock down, he can move about in here... if he tries to leave or touches anything he shouldn't, he'll soon know about it...” Kevin looked worried and decided he was staying put. Strange alien man whom he couldn't place, the Bad Wolf and fantastic sentient time ships would make sure of that.

“Doctor... what are you doing?”

“What do you think? You're still angry at me... we need to sort it out!”

“So you're taking me to the bedroom?” Rose squeaked at him. “You can't use sex like that, Doctor!”

“Sex? Who said anything about sex? I merely wanted to take you somewhere private!” Rose felt an irritating stab of disappointment at this, but tried to cover it up.

“And what about your promise to Gladys and Gladstone? We're not going back for them,are we?”

“Yes... Rose Tyler, oh ye of little faith, we are. I just want to get this sorted out first... that Groske was hired by someone to delay us... they don't want to be found... who would do that? We're in a totally different Universe... how do people even know about us?”

By now they were in the bedroom, Rose sat in the chair by the window which wasn't really a window, but the TARDIS had grown one anyway complete with a perfect view of the Mansion gardens. The Doctor was pacing, seemingly unaware how miserable Rose was feeling.

“Our reputation always precedes us, Doctor we've probably been all over this Universe already in the future..” The Doctor stopped and stared at her, head cocked, sizing her up.

“Clever girl... but that doesn't explain why anyone would be hiding away in the shadows... tricking us... waiting for us... oh no..!"


	15. Chapter 15

His eyes were as big as saucers and Rose jumped up shaking her head. She grabbed him and held onto him.

“No... don't let your imagination get carried away with you... it couldn't be!”

“Why not, no rules about them not being here? I told you, they're like rats, always cropping up... we'll never be rid of them, Rose!”

“Well... I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes... we need to find out first... so let's not jump to any conclusions, 'kay?” 

He finally snapped out of his panic and focussed on her. She had her arms tightly around him. 

“I thought we might be safe from them here...” he whispered.

“Doctor... dig deep inside... is there any ounce of you that senses their presence? Cos, I can't... and you know, that Wolf in me that you keep referring to? She knows... I hope she isn't proven wrong... any number of beings might want to hide from you, why does it have to be the worst you can possibly imagine? Nope, I'm not gonna believe it until there's one pointing it's stalk eye at me and screaming...” He stopped her with a kiss, and she was very quick to return it, her hands snaking up around his neck. He pulled back and looked down at her with an almost shy smile.

“Has anyone told you lately how fantastic you are?”

“Oh, I think it might have been mentioned a couple of times...”

“I may have overreacted...”

“About what? Not letting me in the vestibule or whether whatever's stealing time and hiding from us is a Da...” He interrupted her again with another, more prolonged, kiss.

“Don't say it... you might jinx it...” he said softly when they came up for air. Their foreheads were resting against one another's.

“You're distraction techniques leave a lot to be desired, Doctor...” He smiled at the double barrelled meaning of this statement as he sensed Rose's said desire reawakening.

“I thought sexy times were out of the question when we're in the middle of a fight?” 

“Sexy times? What are you like? Besides, I don't think we're fighting any more and make up sex? Well, I think it's essential... don't you want to?”

“Rose... you seem to forget, you were gone four days... I need you...”

“That's very you...” she smirked.

“Shut up...” he grinned, picked her up and threw her, squealing, onto the bed.

**********

Some time later, wet from the shower, the two emerged hand in hand and happy into the console room. The Little blue Groske, Kevin, was still sitting on the pilot seat looking thoroughly miserable.

“Kevin, my good man!” The Doctor was happy, a spring in his step and Rose looked on with a self satisfied grin.

“Sir!” The Groske jumped up on the seat and saluted.

“None of that now... 'Doctor' is fine and you've no need to salute... you're travelling with us now... do you need some refreshment?” The Groske pointed to a tray that had appeared beside him earlier.

“I don't know how it got here... but it was too tempting... good soup... Doctor...” Kevin was pointedly not looking at Rose and she, for a bit of fun, decided to play on it. She sat down right beside him, his eyes widened but he didn't move.

“That's my special soup, Kevin...” she said softly and the poor creature looked quite sick. “Made from the bones of a thousand men...”

“Stop it, Rose... she's teasing you, you obviously sense something in her, Kevin, but that something is buried deep and of no danger to you unless you try to cross us... so my advice would be to make friends with her pronto... Now, I think we may have materialised a way back, we were a little... um... busy... so let's have a ganders...” The Doctor whisked around to the screen and hit a few buttons. “Ah... Romules... such a beautiful place... why you would want to leave is beyond me, well... no... it's not, I get that, but I think you're reasons for leaving aren't the same as mine... I think we came right to your home town too, Kevin!” Kevin was still frozen next to Rose but on hearing this he looked over to the screen. He was still standing and had a perfect view of it.

“It's right by home, Sir... Doctor... how would you even know that?”

“Very clever ship this... don't ever underestimate her...” 

Rose stood up and made for the ramp, followed by the Doctor, they linked hands and looked towards Kevin who hesitated. “You're coming with me?” he squeaked, wondering what his poor wife was going to say when he arrived home with these two strange creatures in tow.

“You didn't think we'd leave you to your own devices, did you? You may very well have another means of travel out the back, you may very well turn tail and run on us...”

“I'm not a Graske... Groske's have more honour than that...”

“Yeah, like when you told my husband that you were from Inberia, Kevin?” put in Rose and Kevin looked a little taken aback that she had actually addressed him.

“That was different... while I was trying to escape... but how could I escape from my own home?” He spoke to Rose directly, but he kept his eyes lowered as if eye contact might ignite the wolf within. 

“Well... we're coming with you whether you like it or not...” added the Doctor and Kevin, with some resignation, jumped down and padded over to the ramp. He went first followed by the Doctor and Rose.

Kevin let himself in and called at the doorway “Tracey?”

“Kevin?” came the answer and a movement from the back of the dwelling indicated that she was on her way.

She arrived at the end of the hallway corridor and launched herself at him.”You came back early?” She was a little shorter than him, but just as blue. She wore a gown over what seemed like a huge rounded belly. Rose glanced at the Doctor in surprise. He smiled and nodded back.

“Tracey, we have... company...” Her eyes roved over to the pair in the doorway and she straightened herself up.

“Please do come in,” she said primly, glancing at her husband in question.

“Dada!” A little voice came from the room that she had come from and Kevin turned and looked at them apologetically and went towards the source of the voice.

Soon enough, the Doctor and Rose were sitting in a little kitchen, with Kevin and Tracey. Tracey, heavily pregnant was pouring some kind of hot beverage into mugs and Kevin was dangling his small son on his lap. He had relaxed somewhat and didn't seem nearly as bothered by Rose as he had aboard the TARDIS.

“Why on Earth were you half way across the Galaxy when you have such a beautiful family here, Kevin? And you look ready to pop, Tracey?”

“I'm not due for a month, Kevin was due back about the same time. We were hoping he would be back anyway...”

“Money...” said Kevin at the same time, “well, money and being forced into it. I was told that if I didn't they might tell the Shadow Proclamation of a little discrepancy from years ago...”

“Blackmail?” said the Doctor sharply.

“They were offering a great deal of money... would have set me up nicely here. I would never of had to leave again...”

“And the discrepancy?”

“It was years ago... I sold some dodgy merchandise to a passing traveller... nothing really bad, but enough for me to get a record and I can't afford that if I want to set up business here...”

“And what is it you do?”

“I'm a potter... The money I was promised would have allowed me to convert the back room, buy a wheel and a kiln... I could have made a name for myself the galaxy over...” Kevin looked a little sad and then shook himself, “I know now how wrong of me it was to steal time like that, no better than a Graske, I'm very sorry...”

“It's okay, you had no choice, we get that...” it was Rose that spoke up, compassion taking over this poor family’s plight.

“Who was it that was blackmailing you?” The Doctor asked softly. 

“We never saw them... just had messages from them...”

“How?”

“Their mother ship passed by and they contacted me knowing I had a time machine... of sorts...” The Doctor visibly relaxed, knowing full well that what he had been worried about couldn't possibly be involved. They would have full on demanded without recompense.

“Gentle lot, they were, just didn't want to be found...” added Tracey with a nod.

The Doctor pulled out some tokens from his pocket and placed them on the table.

“For your troubles...” he added, as he stood, taking Rose's hand at the same time.

Tracey picked them up and gawped at them, “but that's more than they offered us!” she squeaked eventually.

It was a very happy Kevin that saw them to the door and an even happier one that shut it after the Doctor promised that he would get into the records and wipe any connection Kevin might have had with anything criminal... ever.

“What now?” asked Rose, shutting the doors on Romules and turning to her husband who was already at the console.

“Well... a promise is a promise... we're going back for Gladstone and Gladys... we'll take the long way around though... need to think about who is trying to hide from us...”

“You need to think?” asked Rose a little disappointed. His head pulled up to hers suddenly.

“Well... a bit, yeah... but there are other ways of enjoying the scenic route...”

“Yeah?” Her tongue touched the side of her mouth as she grinned at him.

Within moments they were running down the corridor towards their bedroom...


	16. Chapter 16

He was showing off, Rose could see it, the way he pranced around the console, the huge grin he kept flashing at the young couple that sat on the console seat. The young Gladstone looked terrified while Gladys was enjoying herself immensely, excitement oozing out of every pore.

The truth was Gladstone hadn't believed her, he thought it had been some elaborate dream or game. Maybe even a joke? He was horrified to discover that all his new bride had told him was true and now they were hurtling through time and space in a blue box driven by a mad man. The young lady, who claimed to be his wife, seemed okay though. She was quick to try and reassure him that they were all perfectly safe.

Rose shook her head at her husband and he just grinned all the more with a shrug. He was enjoying himself, putting the new TARDIS through her paces and she wasn't disappointing at all. They were gliding beautifully through the vortex to a destination only he was privy to.

'The West Wing' hadn't quite met the Doctor's expectations though. In the Old Girl, it was miles away from the console room and huge. The new TARDIS had tried her best to grow something for the little newly weds and it was as far away from the Doctor and Rose's main living quarters as she were able. There was now another exit from the console room and Gladys and Gladstone had their own set of rooms beyond that. Both sets of doors into the console room were well sound proofed so they were unable to hear one another when they retired.

It was day two and the Doctor was taking them to a surprise planet where they could really do touristy honeymoon stuff, like having their photos taken on the beach, shopping at the markets and watching a glorious sunset while having a luxurious supper.

Rose wondered, not for the first time, if he was doing this for Gladys and Gladstone or if there was a little bit reserved for them to prolong their own honeymoon. No matter, they were still reaping the benefits and it really seemed as if they were having a second honeymoon even before the first was really over.

“We are out here on a mission...” Rose had reminded him only the previous evening and the Doctor had nodded a little too knowingly. “What are you up to?” she had asked sharply.

“I'm not up to anything, but we are following a trail... the ship that passed by Romules six months back left a trail... we're on their route and if we pass by somewhere nice on the way, well who am I to deny Gladys and Gladstone a wonderful honeymoon?”

“Mmmm... Gladys and Gladstone?” she asked with a hint of suspicion. He had grinned deeply at her at this point, a tip of the tongue crossing his teeth and she had surrendered to his pure sex appeal without any more complaints...

They split up on Paradixo, he gave the young couple some spending money and strict instructions on where not to go. They were to meet back at the TARDIS in four hours, just after sunset.

Gladstone was happy to have his wife to himself and the whole place did look rather inviting and enjoyable. It didn't stop him feeling scared. “Oh look... candy-floss! I've only ever read about it, Gladstone, can we get some?” she squeaked pulling him over to the stall.

The Doctor and Rose watched them indulgently like two parent sparrows watching their babies fledge their first flight.

“Don't wander off too far!” Rose called after them and the Doctor snorted at her. “What?” she asked rounding on him with a smile.

“Don't wander off... as if any one of you ever listened to that!”

“I listened... wasn't always possible... besides... I don't think Iam one of them lot now...”

“Nope, this is true, Mrs Doctor, lets investigate... the trail says that the mother ship stopped here and some of its company came down for a while...”

“How on Earth can your tracking be so precise?” she said still watching the young couple as they wandered through the market place hand in hand with huge blooms of brightly coloured candy-floss on sticks in their free ones.

“Just cos I'm so brilliant... did you want to follow them, see what they get up to?” Rose turned to him an eyebrow raised.

“What had you in mind?”

“Well... we might get information if we dig for it... you never know?”

“Why do I feel that this is the onset of another visit to a sleazy joint in the back streets?”

“Just one drink... then we'll follow Gladys and Gladstone onto the beach, have a swim, yeah?”

“Go on then... but we're a team, right? I'm not going to tolerate being bartered over this time!”

“Righto... not a problem, we'll just go and see the lay of the land, see if they've had any recent unusual visitors...”

The bar that he chose was much more upmarket than the last and looked more like a tea room than a bar, with little blue gingham table clothes and a little posy of flowers as a centrepiece at each table.

The place was packed and when the Doctor and Rose walked in, there was a silence as they all turned to see who had entered.

It was mostly filled with females of all shapes and kinds. There were a few males dotted here and there. One waiting on, another with a chain at his neck and another dancing on a podium at the back of the place.

Rose found a table and sat down, not seeing the Doctor's face. Eventually he perched on the seat next to her and it was then that she saw how uncomfortable he looked.

“What's the matter?” she hissed at him, but too late a group of rough looking women approached them.

“My, my, what have we here? You have caught yourself a hottie, haven't you?” said one of the group, unable to take her eyes off the Doctor. She was human looking, but her eyes were bright red and she had no hair.

“Come to show 'im off 'ave ya?” said another, touching his arm. She was tall and willowy, a strange glow came off her and if you looked a little more closely, you could see that she was practically see through.

“Erm... no... we want no trouble... just came in for some refreshment...” said Rose, pulling the Doctor nearer to her away from the woman's touch. This didn't go unnoticed.

“La dee da... they want some refreshment... think you come to the wrong place, didn't ya?” This person was short and round, she had scales and a forked tongue.

“This is a place where you can get refreshments, isn't it?” Rose asked through gritted teeth, the South London council estate girl rearing itself from inside her.

“Rose...” The Doctor said softly.

“Yeah... Rose... calm down, love, we only wanted to have a look at your fella... he's that handsome...” This was the first speaker, she seemed to be in charge and her words calmed the group down a bit.

“Like I said, we want no trouble...” said Rose to her.

“Well, this ain't the sort of place you come to for a romantic date, everyone around here knows that, people come here to have some female camaraderie, or to show off what they might be selling, or for information... what you here for really?”

Rose looked at the Doctor who said nothing, he seemed at a loss, which was new, so Rose took the lead.

“We've been asking about some unusual visitors that may have turned up here recently...”

“We? We answer to no man here...” spat one of the females, but the leader put a hand on her arm.

“We get all sorts of unusual visitors here...” she said to Rose but looking at the Doctor as if she knew what he was.

“These were a little different than the usual tourist type... they definitely wanted to remain hidden...” The Doctor spoke again, much to the disgust of the women.

“Lots of visitors want to come unidentified...” said their leader again, this time looking directly at Rose.

“They wanted to appear invisible...” muttered Rose, her patience at their disrespect of her husband beginning to wear thin.

“Well... there was that thing that happened a couple of weeks ago...” someone from the back chimed in and was instantly hushed. Not before both Rose and the Doctor got a good look at her.

“You'll get nothing from us, not without an exchange and the exchange we're interested in, I feel, is not up for grabs?” She gave the Doctor a stripping look that turned him a shade of pink that Rose was the only person used to seeing. Enough was enough, she said no more, just took the Doctor's hand and pulled him to the exit. ”When you tire of him... come back, we might be able to find a use for him!” Called the leader of the group, the grip on the Doctor's hand tightened, but she didn't rise to the comment.

“When are you gonna learn that no good ever comes from visiting these sorts of places?” she said to him when they were back out in the street and briskly walking away from the building.

“Oh, I don't know about that...” he said softly and twitched his head back. The female that had spoken up was following them and so they stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“Follow...” she whispered as she passed and the Doctor and Rose exchanged an amused look as they did as they were asked.

The girl, for she was little more than this, lead them through a labyrinth of streets until the couple began to worry that they may be being lead into a trap. Finally the streets opened out onto a magnificent square. The buildings all around were beautifully crafted in glorious colours and shapes. There were many people milling about and the girl, who appeared more human than the rest of the group they had left, turned to them.

“They asked to be taken here so they could pay their respects to the Great Goddess... they never showed themselves, they were shrouded, but they were telepaths... spoke through their minds... I was their guide as I have telepathic abilities. They were kind to me... I left them here...”

“What's your name?” The Doctor asked and she lowered her eyes from his in respect.

“My name is Melamby, my Lord...” The Doctor winced at her use of title but nodded.

“And where exactly are we, Melamby?”

“We're at the temple of the Great Goddess, my Lord...”

“The Great Goddess?” Melamby looked up into his eyes, a wave of shock at his lack of knowledge hitting her.

“We are at the Temple Denoble... we worship the Great Goddess...” she said softly. She pointed to a statue of a woman standing tall above them. She was at least a hundred feet tall and in full technicolour. There was no mistaking the fantastic mane of red hair that framed her face and hung long down her back.


	17. Chapter 17

“No... but that looks like...” Rose gasped looking up. The Doctor looked on, that solemn, sad look pasted across his face.

“She saved the Universes, she's remembered...” he said softly to Rose after a long pause. Melamby looked at them strangely.

“We worship the Great Goddess she was our saviour many millions of moons ago...”

“Oh Doctor, is this going to follow us around forever?” He turned to her suddenly, not sure what she meant by this, but Rose's eyes were as full of sorrow as his.

“Follow us around?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to remember another encounter involving the Boadicea of a woman he had been privileged to call his friend. 

“Jacatance... her name?” said Rose and the Doctor's face changed … he was deep in thought as if trying to work something out.

“The visitors you asked of... they came here...” said Melamby.

“To worship?” asked the Doctor.

“Indeed they went inside... they prayed...” nodded Melamby.

“Are we allowed to go in?” he asked again.

“Of course, all are free to worship, Sir...” she replied. He nodded and took Rose's hand setting off towards the entrance to the huge temple. Melamby stayed put, but before they disappeared inside, the Doctor turned back to her.

“Melamby... you're better than that crowd you're hanging around with... take some advice from a wise old man and find yourself some new friends before they drag you down?” Melamby nodded and turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

Inside the huge temple, it was very peaceful... a few worshippers dotted here and there, a group of nuns and a woman in purple robes at what appeared to be some kind of alter.

The Doctor and Rose approached this lady hand in hand and she turned to greet them with a friendly smile.

“May the great Goddess guide and protect you...” she said softly, bowing her head.

“Same here...” The Doctor said a little uncomfortably and Rose bowed her head back solemnly.

“Can I be of some assistance on this fine day?” she asked them.

“We wanted to pay our respects to the great Goddess and also ask if the people we have been travelling with came here? We got separated and have been trying to catch up with them ever since?” The Doctor slipped into story very easily.

“Many people pass through here, what was so outstanding about them that I might remember them?” asked the priestess, for that was indeed what she was.

“They were covered, shrouded...” said the Doctor.

“Narrows it down but only marginally...”

“They were very peaceful... gentle types...” added Rose.

“Mmmm... that does seem to jog a memory.... do you know their names?”

“What good would that do us here?” asked the Doctor sharply.

“Well, kind sir, I do recall some such visitors coming here and paying their respects, but they signed the book before they left... if you know their names, then it will be written...” The priestess allowed her hand to sweep over to a plinth where a large and ancient leather bound book sat open upon it. A ray of light beamed onto the book from one of the many stained glass windows that adorned the temple.

“May we?” asked the Doctor.

“But of course... remember to light a candle for the Goddess and sign the book before you go...” The Priestess nodded and drifted away.

They approached the steps to the book with a little trepidation.

“What's going on inside that noggin of yours?” asked Rose beside him, softly.

“Sorry?”

“You know something, I can tell...”

“And you can't glean my thoughts from our bond?”

“Tried, just too jumbled at the moment...” They had got to the book and the Doctor quickly began to read the names backwards from the last entry. Rose looked but most of the writing meant nothing to her as it was in many different languages and their new TARDIS hadn't quite got her translator functions up and running.

Suddenly, the Doctor gasped and pulled back. He looked at Rose in surprise and then, with a quick sweep of the quill he signed something rather beautiful in Gallifreyan script, grabbed Rose's hand and marched her to the exit.

“Doctor?”

“We've got to get back to the TARDIS...” he said hurrying them along. But Rose pulled him to a stop and he turned to her his face a jumbled mixture of worry and surprise, “what?”

“We're not doing this... running off at your say so... leaving Gladys and Gladstone behind, me not knowing what you're up to!” His mouth opened and shut and then he broke into a wide grin.

“Is this Rose Tyler, putting her foot down?” he moved towards her, hands at her hips.

“Tell me what you're up to... tell me what you saw in the book... tell me what you wrote in the book!” she shouted, brushing his hands away.

“Rose, calm down, I was going to tell you, I just needed to get back to the TARDIS to see if we could pick up their trail...”

“They weren't just here though , were they? Does a couple of hours really matter that much? There's something you're not telling me, Doctor... I thought we were a partnership...”

“All the clues are there, staring me in the face, Rose... I just can't quite grasp it... I thought if we got back to the TARDIS I might be able to work it out...”

“You didn't even think to ask me? I might be able to contribute...”

“I'm sorry... I just got caught up in it...”

“You do that, and that’s fine so long as you catch me up in it too... what did you see in the book, Doctor?”

“It was the name... I can't be precise but I translated it as Naissance... I need to check the translation, that's why I wanted to get back to the TARDIS...”

“Naissance? But that's... is it?”

“I think so... I think we're following Jacatance's family...”

“But why would they be running from us, Doctor?”

“I don't know... they might not know we have her, they might think we're some kind of threat... Lullabeans are a very private race...”

“They've stolen time, tried to hide their tracks... they must know something about us, Doctor?” 

“Rose.... I don't know, I'm at a loss... if only we had something that could leave messages throughout time and space, maybe then we could let them know somewhere in the future that the heir to their throne is safe with our family or something!”

“What are you getting at?”

“I think we need the Bad Wolf... we need to access her and find out how to work her to our advantage...”

“What did you write in the book?”

“Well what do you think?”

“In Gallifreyan?” He shrugged at this.

“What did you think I wrote?” he asked after a pause.

“I don't know... for some stupid reason I got it into my head that you might do something as romantic as write our name down as it would appear in your own hand! I thought that maybe somewhere in this Universe, we might not be Rose Tyler and The Doctor, not Mr and Mrs Smith but your name with your wife's right by it! Instead, I find you jotted down Bad Wolf without even consulting me... the Bad Wolf!”

“Sshhh... not so loud, Rose... it was spur of the moment... I didn't think... forgive me!” Rose stood there scowling but his contrite face and her excitement at his suspicions were just too much and she shook her head with a sigh.

“We're not running off and leaving those people here!”

“No, let's go down to the beach and meet them like we planned, watch the sunset and then we'll get back on the trail...” They joined hands and headed in the direction of the beach.

“That's better... would have been grossly unfair to abandon them here, I think Gladys is at an age where she could be easily swayed and the culture here, although I thoroughly approve of feminism, is a little much. Poor Gladstone might have ended up a sex slave or something!” 

“It's not everywhere, only in selective parts... the Goddess's disciples...” he said softly.

“Flipping Donna Noble and her influences!”

“You'll get us arrested if you start blaspheming, Rose, what's going on down here?” Indeed there did seem to be a bit of a crowd on the beach and as they got down there Gladstone came running up to them.

“You've got to help... she's out there!” he wheezed, his eyes darting out to sea.

“What? Who's out where?” the Doctor asked and Gladstone pointed. The Doctor followed Gladstone's little finger and focussed on a little tug boat heading away from the beach.

“They took her... get her back for me, Doctor... please help!”


	18. Chapter 18

The Doctor sighed and kicked off his shoes.

“What are you doing?” asked Rose as he gave her his jacket and shirt.

“I'm going to get Gladys, what does it look like?”

“You're going to swim out there?”

“Yes.”

“But it's miles out and going quite fast!”

“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, Rose, if they were miles out the boat would be a speck on the horizon and in my experience tugs are not very speedy... I happen to be an excellent swimmer, back in a bit!” And with that he charged towards the sea and dived into the waves.

Rose walked to the waters edge and watched his accomplished front crawl taking him out to sea. She bit her lip, frustration and worry etching her face.

He was a very strong swimmer and pretty soon she couldn't make him out at all. A group of people on the beach joined her vigil, gazing at the little tug boat bobbing on the waves in the distance.

Rose crossed her arms and kicked at some sand angrily. This was so flipping 'Doctor' of him, rushing off and leaving her to stew while he took the dangerous route to rescue. She was damned if she was going to wait five and a half hours, respiratory by pass or no.

“It's turning!” someone beside her shouted. Gladstone moved forward, his trousers rolled up around his knees, his face worriedly looking at the boat. Rose looked up and, sure enough, the boat was, indeed, turning. They all watched as it completed it's U turn and headed back towards the shore.

Soon Rose was bustled along by the ever growing crowd as they headed towards the jetty where a few other boats were moored and where this rogue one was now headed.

There were a group of females standing at the helm of the boat and up on the highest point of the mast was the Doctor whooping with delight. The crew where tied up on deck looking a bit deflated and cross.

As soon as the Tug stopped, the Doctor jumped down and placed the gang plank onto the jetty, then he beckoned each lady to leave the boat as he stood there looking very pleased with himself. Gladys was the last of them to leave followed by the Doctor as he breezed down the ramp behind her smugly.

Each person who left the boat ran to members of the crowd and there was much joy, including Gladys, who ran to Gladstone with a laugh. He was near to tears as he swooped her up in his arms.

The Doctor landed happily at Rose's feet expecting her to be proud of him and not at all expecting the stony expression on her face. His smile was wiped away immediately.

“Rose?” he said uncertainly and she just glared at him, shook her head and turned tail, leaving him standing there staring after her.

She stomped up the beach, knowing that he wouldn't be able to follow her immediately, the coastal police had joined the throng as the Tug docked and were waiting to talk with him. She found the TARDIS easily, let herself in.

“You'd so better lock this door behind me...” she asked the eaves as she went into their bedroom wondering if there would be any loyalty towards just her.

The TARDIS did as she was bidden.

“Please don't open it until I ask, not even for him...” she asked as tears began to well up in her eyes.

She wasn't sad, she was just really very angry at him. The adventure had taken him yet again and he had swanned off in rescue without a second thought for her, without thinking about what could happen if they got separated. She couldn't take losing him, being apart from him, again and he was completely oblivious.

This hiding away was her self preservation mode. She had done this many times before when they had just been travelling companions and her feelings had overwhelmed her. But this was back when it was never said. Now it really should be said.

She wandered miserably into the bathroom where she found that a bath full of vanilla scented hot bubbles was being drawn. She raised her eyes to the eaves again and smiled sadly. At least someone understood her feelings.

It was less than ten minutes later that the Doctor burst through the TARDIS doors calling her name. The console room pulsed emptily around him and even the noisy arrival of Gladys and Gladstone didn't fill that gap.

He knew she was there, he could sense her presence. He couldn't understand what had upset her. She had been a bit touchy at the temple but the look she had given him on the beach was worrying him now.

Gladys and Gladstone went to their rooms to get out of sandy, wet clothes and to shower leaving him alone and pondering.

He set the TARDIS into the vortex and walked slowly, apprehensively towards their room. When he tried the door, he was flabbergasted to find that he was denied access.

“Let me in!” he shouted, but was met with a stony silence. He was cross now, his ship... his bedroom... his wife... Not to mention his trousers were damp and there was sand in parts of him he'd rather there wasn't.

He sighed loudly, then sat down with his back to the door.

Rose was enjoying the long soak, the water stayed warm and the bubbles never seemed to wear away. Honestly, she could stay there forever. Well, maybe not forever, but this was certainly calming her down.

And then her husband was in her head.

“Why am I locked out?” his voice came though loud and clear and she felt a little invaded by this. She decided not to answer, ”I know you're there, I know you can hear me...” she groaned at the invasion and went under the water. “Why are you upset, Rose?” Being under water made no difference to the clarity of his voice and she resurfaced and sat up with force.

“You don't think like a couple, Doctor and it's not fair!” She messaged him crossly which quietened him for a little while.

“I think of you constantly, Rose... you're my wife...”

“And yet you constantly take matters into your own hands... how many times have you left me on this mission alone? We were separated for years, Doctor, do you want something like that to happen to us again?”

“Of course I don't... how else was I going to get Gladys back here?”

“I?”

“I is we and we are I, it's all circumstantial, Rose, we're one... a unit, right?”

“It doesn't feel that way, Doctor... not unless we're shagging...” She added the last as an afterthought and it stung him a bit.

“At least let me in, so we can talk properly, Rose?” he asked after a long pause. She didn't answer, ”I'm damp and sitting in a draft...” he added when he got no response.

The door opened at his back and he fell into the room. He went straight to the bathroom door which was predictably locked.

“How can I make amends when you won't even see me?”

“Doesn't feel like you're trying to 'make amends' nor understand... it's always your way, Doctor!”

He stopped, and stood thinking about what she had said. What she had said at the temple about names, how she felt he didn't think about her.

“Okay... I do tend to march off on my own agenda and I'm sorry for that, I'm not used to that type of domesticity.... I don't want to ask you for permission with every decision I make, but I think I probably am guilty of not involving you a bit.”

“Unless it suits you!”

“Please let me in!”

“I'm having a bath!”

“I could join you... I'm freezing and sandy...” There was silence to this. “Please, Rose... I want to understand...” Still silence. “I'm sorry, I'll try harder in future to include you always...”

“It's not just you any more, Doctor, you can't just put me somewhere safe while you risk yourself... we're more of a team now than ever we were!” She was softening, he could feel it.

“Please let me in, Rose...” He spoke the words out loud this time, softly, his mouth almost touching the door. There was a pause and then the door clicked open. He moved in slowly, cautiously half expecting her to chuck something at him. Instead he was greeted with the vision of his beautiful, sexy wife, submerged in sweet smelling vanilla bubbles, her eyes upon him and very serious.

“I know I've behaved like a child, but you have to understand how you're making me feel... organising our whole wedding without giving me any input... you've made every decision since and on the whole, that's fine, I don't mind. But when it comes to the possibility of us being separated it really isn't. You know how you felt when I was stuck in the vestibule for four days? That's how you make me feel whenever you take a risk.”

“I didn't realise...”

“Nope, course you didn't... but here's the thing. I need you to think about the consequences of your actions a little before you leap in head first, is that such a big ask?”

“I don't know, Rose, but I promise I'll try.” 

They stared at each other for a long while and then finally Rose breathed out a deep sigh, rolled her eyes and said, “Get in...” He didn't need telling twice, damp brown pin stripes quickly pooled to the floor and he jumped in opposite her with a sheepish grin.

“You were really angry with me!” he said, shocked and relieved at the warmth of the water and the itchy bits of sand leaving him.

“And you're surprised?” He slid closer to her a little warily, but the need to make physical contact far out-crying any worries. She allowed him to pull her into his arms, the water had unknotted her anger and she had said all she had needed to say. 

They lay in each others arms quietly until Rose felt like she might doze off.

“It really bothers you, this whole name thing, doesn't it?” he whispered making her jump.

“Not all the time, but knowing that you had a proper name when you were growing up and not being allowed or able to know it, to share it, that stings sometimes, I can't lie.”

“I didn't say you couldn't share it, or not know it... but it can't ever be said out loud... I didn't think you were that interested, just thought you wanted some kind of title. Rose in our bond we have a name together. I haven't shown it to you yet, it's still early days within this whole bond and it can take time to fine tune the communication, particularly if you're not an experienced telepath.” She stared at him wide eyed.

“I can share your name? Know it?”

“I'd love you to, but we have to make sure we bury it deep down inside us, it would be a pretty dangerous thing if anyone got hold of it...”

“When, when can we do it?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes shining. He was reminded of the first time they had bonded back in her bathroom in the mansion. How excited and eager she had been then. He hummed happily.

“Now, we can 'do it' right now...” he reflected his words of then.


	19. Chapter 19

They fell into each other's thoughts, the channels were already well established as they had already been talking to each other within their argument. Rose giggled in their thoughts.

“What?” he asked softly.

“Well... the last time we did this in the bath and all, we hadn't... you know...”

“You know? You're embarrassed to say... after everything we've done... in our heads... you can't even say it?” 

“Oh shut up... you know we're gonna have make up sex, at least your body does I can feel it... just we've never done both before...”

“And there was me thinking I was going to tell you something very special and you've gone all juvenile on me...”

“Sorry... I think I'm just relieved to have got all that off my chest... “

“It's a very nice chest though...” His hands grabbed said chest and stroked it enthusiastically.

Rose giggle-snorted both in and outside of their heads.

Then suddenly everything went very serious and the warm fuzzy feeling that was normally there in their bond was gone. 

The were walking down a solemn corridor, it was half dark, the walls were red, carved with golden inscriptions. She recognised the markings from the little post-it notes dotted around the console. They moved into the room at the end of the corridor. It was very ornate and reminded Rose of a church. Stone pillars stood in a circle around a heavily carved flat stone circle that dominated the centre of the room. Hanging from the eaves above this stone was a huge pewter bell

“Cloisters...”said the Doctor softly from beside her.

“Looks like we're in the TARDIS... has she grown this?” Rose asked, her eyes travelling down the Doctor's body and seeing he was wearing a long red robe.

“No, this is from my head... a memory...” Rose looked down at herself and realised that she, too, was wearing a matching robe. It was very comfortable though it didn't look like it would be. The Doctor smiled.

“There are headdresses to go with these, but I thought them a bit much...” Rose nodded nervously and followed him towards the stone circle. She didn't see how it happened, but it began to slide back, a huge grey disc revealing a deep black hole underneath it. Rose was scared, it felt cold.

“Are you gonna make me look in the Untempered Schism?” she asked quietly.

“No, my love, this is The Eye Of Harmony... or at least what little I can keep of it in my head... come...” He pulled her right to the edge of the hole and together they looked down.

All of a sudden, Rose was filled to the brim with the purest joy she had ever felt, there was beautiful singing all around them and Rose began to sing along, glancing at the Doctor who was also joining in.

Beautiful colours dashed and flashed around them, reds and golds filling them both with such warmth. They were floating high above the world, joined together for all eternity and Rose knew who he was, she knew who she was... she knew who they were. She could feel tears pouring form her eyes and her cheeks ached from the smile that she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She could feel the Doctor and see he was feeling as she was... he pulled her into his arms, they melted together...”

The next thing Rose was aware of was much more physical. The Doctor, unable to control himself, had sheathed himself inside her under the water. She opened her eyes and grinned at him. He was up on his arms so she could see his face, a mixture of wonder and lust spread across it.

“Cheeky...” The tears were still in his eyes and she pulled herself up and kissed them away, “I know now... all is good...” she lay back and flicked her hips at him, causing his eyes to open wide. The smile spread rapidly across his face, near enough splitting it in two as he began to move in and out of his beautiful wife... his soul mate... his partner... his everything...

It was slow and sensuous, a consummation of everything and Rose felt that she had achieved a huge milestone in their relationship. 

“Yes... I love you... I love you... I love you...” His voice was in her head and she was finally able to read all his uncensored thoughts.

It was the closest Rose had ever felt to any other person in her life, their bodies and minds were in complete harmony with one another and even though the mind thing was out of body, the pure physical feeling intensified everything and when she reached her climax, she felt like she shattered into a billion pieces around him and her eyes opened to see him as he followed her quickly and she could feel all he was feeling as well as what she was feeling.

That lay in that warm, vanilla scented cocoon for a very long time, basking in their bond, an afterglow to beat all afterglows.

“That was... oh my God...”

“Lord will do... and yeah, it so was... I love you so much, Rose... don't ever leave me...” His voice broke a bit and she sat up, turned to face him.

“I'm never gonna leave you... did you think I had?”

“Well... you were angry and you disappeared and wouldn't let me near you... it crossed my mind...”

“Well, it's never gonna happen... couples can have tiffs, Doctor, doesn't mean to say they're done, besides, I have it on good authority that once one is bonded, that’s it... no going back and definitely no leaving!”

It was an important moment and they both knew it, the Doctor even though he was sure of Rose's love, of her commitment, even with a full on bond; was still a tiny bit insecure. No small wonder when he had been through all he had been through. Rose felt a little guilty for calling him out so drastically but he quickly picked that up and shook his head.

“I'm over nine hundred years old, many, many people have come and gone... I'm bound to have a few scars...”

“Well... I'm gonna dedicate forever soothing them, don't you worry...”

“What if I regenerate, though Rose?” he said this very quietly and it was very evident to her that he had been hiding this worry from her in and out of their bond.

“Look, Doctor, I love this face, I can't lie, but I do seem to recall I was rather in love with your previous one... it'd still be you, right? We'll just have to get to know one another all over again, it wouldn't alter how you feel about me, would it?”

“No... not now... we're bonded for life, no matter what... but Rose...”

“Doctor?”

“What if I regenerate into a woman?” Rose stopped short, mouth open.

“Is that even possible?”

“Hasn't happened to me so far, but I've heard of it... even some of my family... yes, it's possible and I may have had some control over it the past couple, but on the whole it's a lottery...” Rose stared at him for a while deep in thought, then she shook her head and pulled him closer to her.

“You'll still be you... we'll just have to overcome it if it ever gets to that... you never know it might be fun trying?” Rose's tongue poked out of her mouth cheekily and the Doctor's eyes rounded in excited shock.

“Oh... I can't believe you just said that!” His smile was back... and that wasn't all. Rose felt his groin reawaken and grinned.

“That excited you, you old perv, didn't it?”

“Weell...” he rolled on top of her, “I am a red blooded male, it comes with the territory...”

“For now...” she added slyly.

“Best make the most of it then, hadn't we?”

And so they did...


	20. Chapter 20

Rose woke in their big bed alone, she pulled her head up and looked about the bedroom, her hair fluffed up about her. The room was empty. She flopped back onto the pillow and lay there for a while contemplating whether to try and summon him with their bond. But she decided against it as she needed to see what he was up to and to tell him something that she had witnessed during their session the previous night.

As she walked out into the corridor in her short dressing gown, she heard voices in the Galley and headed that way, the smell of toast and coffee part of the pull.

The Doctor was sat at the table looking relaxed and very pleased with himself. Gladstone was also sat at the table, munching on a piece of toast, looking at the Doctor over it with a timid expression.

Gladys was at home in the galley and was the maker of toast and coffee. Rose sighed as she took the scene in and recognising it of old. Gladys was hanging onto every word the Doctor said, she was fussing over him and making sure his cup was full and did he want more toast? More jam? Gladstone looked very put out, but he was obviously too in awe of the Doctor to say anything. Rose cleared her throat and all three pairs of eyes simultaneously moved around to her standing in the doorway.

“Good morning sleepy head!” said the Doctor, leaning back, tongue on teeth with a very smug and satisfied grin on his face. Clearly he thought his wife looked shagged out and that made him fairly happy. Gladys looked at Rose frostily.

“Oh my, did you have a bad night, dear? Some coffee might help?” She bustled over to the kettle.

“Oh no, Gladys, I had a particularly good night...” Rose stretched and inwardly sighed, she was going to have to demonstrate a few boundaries here. She wandered over to the Doctor and shimmied into his lap, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him fully right in front of them.

She pulled back and smirked. “I woke up lonely... I missed you...” she pouted, looking at Gladys sideways on. Gladstone let out a little squeak, which alerted Gladys to his existence.

“Stop gawping at her... really Rose, maybe you should put some clothes on, you're showing an awful lot of yourself!” The Doctor had his hand on her naked thigh.

“Yeah, maybe this robe is a little on the short side...” Rose stretched her long legs right out and Gladstone flushed a deep shade of pink. Gladys tutted and the Doctor gently shook his head at his wife.

Rose sat down at the table by her husband and picked up a piece of toast from the centre plate.

“Come on then, spill...” she said before taking a bite.

“Spill what?” Said the Doctor.

“Not you.... you two... what happened on the beach?”

“I was hoodwinked is what!” sniffed Gladys.

“These dodgy looking men were selling trips around the islands... Gladys was all up for it, but I knew it wasn't a good idea... 'don't wander off 'you said, that would count as wandering off in my book. It wasn't long before we, us men left on the beach, realised that it was only the women folk they took...” Gladstone began.

“We didn't realise until one of them locked us up in the hold.... it was all rather scary and exciting..” Gladys sat down with her cup of coffee. “Well, then he arrived and read them the riot... soon had us freed and them in chains.... turned the boat and asked me to steer while he had a bit of a climb... it was pretty glorious...” she sighed looking at the Doctor with gooey eyes. The Doctor grinned at Rose, clearly an open challenge.

“My husband's pretty good for a rescue... what did they want you for, slavery?” Gladys blushed and lowered her eyes.

“They kidnapped them to sell them on the open sex trade market... we were having none of that, were we Gladys?”

“No...” her eyes were back on him, adoration leaking out. Poor Gladstone looked quite upset.

“Well done you... that would have been such an awful thing to happen and on your honeymoon and all!” Rose said trying to turn some attention Gladstone's way and at the same time stroking her husband's arm. 

“Stoppit...” His voice was in her head clear as day and she grinned at him.

“Poor Gladstone, how can he compete with you? Don't encourage her... ”

“Of course, I could never have manufactured such a rescue without Gladstone, though!” The Doctor said aloud and Gladys looked surprised.

“What... how?” she stammered, glancing from the Doctor to Gladstone.

“Well... he rallied the troops... alerted the coast guard... came to find us... he was all for swimming out himself, but I thought he was better deployed ashore, he's a good organiser, is your Gladstone...” Gladys went bright pink and shuffled to her husband's side.

“He is... I'm very proud of him...” she blushed.

“I need to talk to you...” she whispered inside his head and he looked hungrily and hopefully at her. “You're insatiable! It's about something I saw last night...”

“Right then, my wife needs to get dressed and I need to um... change my tie... so regroup in the Console room in about an hour?” The Doctor suddenly got to his feet and took Rose's hand, pulling her out the door they broke into a run towards their bedroom laughing silently all the way there.

They ran into their bedroom and landed on the bed in fits.

“Doctor... you cannot encourage... poor Gladstone!It's their honeymoon!”

“You're going to have to get used to that, Rose... I can't help how the wenches react to me... who can blame them after all... look at me!”he lay back, crossing his hands behind his head.

“It works both ways, you know? How would you feel about some bloke giving me a little too much attention?” the Doctor's face dropped at this.

“It's not the same... hero worship and hunting... I wouldn't like it...”

“Even if I had rescued the bloke and he was very grateful?”

“Stop it, Rose!” She lay back beside him.

“It's not fair on poor Gladstone, the way this marriage is going it won't last a month and we know different, don't we? We have to make her see and you feeding her young hormone addled brain with your daring deeds will not help his cause.”

“Daring deeds...” he smiled and turned to face her. “What was it you saw last night?”

“I saw the Bad Wolf... I was the Bad Wolf for a moment or two... it wasn't that difficult to harness and it's possible to leave messages like you said...”

“I didn't see... how come I didn't see?”

“It was after, when we were drifting in and out... there was this light and I was away... it was just a fleeting breath... but I was there as the Wolf... she showed me... I need to learn, it's a whole new universe and the messages I left back then were warnings... these would be just to let us know... different... but we could...”

“Well, that’s brilliant... “ The Doctor still looked a bit put out at not being involved, but he soon shook that off and smiled slyly. “I found a trail to the Lullabean ship this morning while you were sleeping...”

“You did? Why didn't you say so? Surely we should be after them and not lolling about on our bed?”

“Well, we are... after them, I set the course and we're heading their way... should be at our next destination in about an hour or so...”

“Next destination?”

“Wherever they choose to materialise next basically...”

“How do you know it'll be an hour if you don't know when they... oh... I get it... you have to 'change your tie'...”

“Oh, yes Rose Tyler... I really do...”

An hour or so later, the Doctor, in his favourite Paisley tie, strolled down the corridor towards the console room hand in hand with his (now fully clothed) wife.


	21. Chapter 21

“So, this is where the trail leads to... can you see anything?” The Doctor was searching the screen, Rose standing at his right shoulder looking at the scene outside their marvellous ship. All she could see was the vast starry space on the other side of the door.

“What are we looking for, exactly?” Gladys was there, standing on the pilot seat, her husband beside her.

“I don't 'exactly' know... they travel in a huge space ship usually, like a city in itself... but that may have moved on... we're just looking for a sign that they were here more than anything...” The Doctor didn't take his bespectacled eyes off the screen as he spoke.

“Doctor... look...” Rose touched the top right hand corner of the screen. The Doctor studied it carefully and saw what Rose was pointing out. It was so subtle that you could hardly see it... a vague yellow light that was definitely not part of the constellation they were sitting in. It shimmered and moved and took on shapes, rather like a cloud on a beautiful day. 

As they watched on, it took on the shape of what looked like a large dog. It's head raised towards them, then moved upwards as if it were howling. It looked back at them and then took off, moving at a fast pace into the distance.

“And off we go!” sang the Doctor as he set a course to follow it, pushing levers and pumping away at something that looked very like a plunger.

The TARDIS lurched forward and set off at a fast pace following the Wolf in a straight line which Rose really was unaccustomed to.

“We're... flying?”

“Yes, of course, we're following the Wolf... she's showing us the way... why so surprised?”

“Not used to chugging along like a normal space ship...”

“Chugging along? Chugging... along... gliding gracefully in pursuit... Rose you'll upset the sexy little thing!” He stroked the console as he spoke and Rose's eyes flashed. Gladstone and Gladys looked at one another, eyebrows raised.

“Sexy, Doctor, really?” Rose put her hands on her hips and the Doctor suddenly realised what he had said... and in front of guests too.

“Well, that is to say she's impressive and sleek and she doesn't chug along, Rose!” Rose hesitated, trying to suppress a smile which was suddenly contagious and effected all of them. The TARDIS echoed with laughter and Rose bumped the Doctor's side with her hip.

“FYI, you really don't want to be calling your mode of transport 'sexy' in front of your fairly new wife, Doctor!”

“I'll bear that in mind...” The Doctor muttered, although it was very apparent that he wouldn't. Rose stared at him for a long moment and then shrugged, looking back to the screen.

“So... what happens next?” she asked

“Well, we follow until we find something... hopefully Jacatance's family...”

“What are we supposed to do until then?” Rose asked, she had been hoping for a bit of an adventure, to show off a bit to Gladys and Gladstone.

“Well... if we're going to be here a while I could get on with that bread...” Gladys said sweetly, climbing down from the pilot seat.

“Bread?” said Rose without any interest.

“Yes, the one I told you about... with the amazing rise? I was talking about the size of the oven in the kitchen...”

“Galley...” interrupted the Doctor, his eyes still glued to the screen as he began to log and calculate the journey they had just begun.

“Same difference... you said you'd like to see it... you don't remember?”

“I'm going to be here a while Rose, if you want to... um... run along...” Rose was seething and she knew that he knew it.

“Sorry, Gladys, of course I remember... I think it was taste, that I said... I don't really... baking isn't my... thing...”

“I'd love to help you, love... I've always wanted to see how your family made it so light and fluffy... perhaps Rose and the Doctor would like to try the end product?” Gladstone led his slightly bruised wife out of the console room towards the galley talking gently to her all the while.

Rose stood her ground until finally the Doctor spoke. “That was a bit harsh, poor Gladys, I think that was some sort of olive branch she was holding out for her behaviour earlier...”

“So you thought it was a good idea to send the women folk off to the kitchen to prepare the food?”

“Galley, Rose...” He looked up and saw her face. “I didn't mean it like that... it's just I need to concentrate on this and you're very distracting... and I love to be distracted by you but isn't this why we're here?” He glanced over at her, pointing at the screen.

“Fine, I'll go and amuse myself while you have a tinker... quite like old times, Doctor...” He didn't reply, he was too absorbed in his calculations, so she left him quietly there and headed for their bedroom.

Once inside, she quietly shut the door and leant with her back to it observing the pole still erected in the area to right the side of their bed.

She wasn't angry, she knew the Doctor didn't always check what he was going to say and he certainly didn't mean it like it had come out. But she had wanted some alone time to have a practise at the pole and this seemed the perfect opportunity. 

She went to a drawer and pulled out a pair of black spanks. They were tight and flexible and perfect for her needs. She pulled on a black cropped vest top and approached the pole.

He wasn't usually one to lose track of time, being a Time Lord and all, but it was some time later he became aware of how quiet it was. He listened out for signs of life. Nothing. Even Gladys and Gladstone had gone quiet. He got up and made his way into the corridor towards their bedroom and quietly opened the door expecting to see Rose curled up on their bed asleep.

The sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks. Rose was swinging about at the top of the pole with grace and ease, her naked legs wrapping and unwrapping around it.

Suddenly she seemed to let go and slipped down the pole at such a pace the Doctor was sure she was going to crash into the floor, but at the last second she stopped, flexed her body out horizontally and pulled her legs right up so she was upside down facing him. 

His sharp intake of breath at the drop had alerted her to his presence and she observed him standing in the doorway, mouth slightly open, eyes out on stalks.

She had been working hard at it since she left him tinkering and her body was glowing, aching, covered in a sheen of moisture.

The Doctor groaned as she hoisted herself back into an upright position swinging her legs out and standing in front of him, her chest rising and falling in the skimpy vest top.

“What you do to me, woman...” he murmured and made a step towards her.

“Got your attention now, then?” she said and dodged him with a giggle. “I need a shower... I'm all sweaty!”

“Sounds like a good idea... it's um... better with two?”

“Don't you have stuff to do?”

“No, we're on course... it's all sorted, I think I know where we're headed... we have plenty of time...”

“Oh, but I was going to give you a show, been practising for ages now...”

“Sounds interesting... when?”

“I'm sweaty, Doctor...”

“It's very sexy... all glowing and... wet?” His eyes flickered up and down her body.

“Sexy like the TARDIS?” she said quickly, her tongue protruding from her mouth and touching her upper lip cheekily.

“No... completely different... very, very different...” He kept on walking towards her, stalking her, and she kept stepping back until finally she turned and ran towards the bathroom, squealing with him in hot pursuit.

He caught up with her at the shower and grabbed her, kissing her hard.

“You are the sexiest thing in existence, Rose Tyler...” He pulled back with a happy, confident smile.

“Well... I think you are, so it's a moot point, really...”

“So about this show?” His eyes were shining keenly and she shook her head.

“Let's have a shower first, yeah?” He was already undressing before she had finished speaking.


	22. Chapter 22

Rose had found a red satin basque and black silk stockings in her drawer and had tutted at the TARDIS at the time. She had never even thought about wearing such stereo-typical garb... but it had set her off thinking.

If not from her brain, then from the Doctor's. He must have been having bloke fantasies about her looking like some kind of... call girl. She had spent a great deal of her pole practise imagining him imagining her and it had got her rather heated up.

So she was now in the bathroom, him happily naked on the bed awaiting his special show.

Everything she needed was there... red lipstick, red killer heels, even a red satin thong. 

“Rose? How long are you going to be?” he called from the bed somewhat impatiently.

She'd just climbed into the heels and was looking at herself in the full length mirror. She had curled her hair and it was all coiffed and plumped around her head, a 'come hither' or 'just-fucked' do, her friend Shareen used to say when they were dressing up for a night out.

She hadn't gone overboard with the make up, a little mascara and the red lipstick that gave her a very sensual pout, accentuating her already full lips. The outfit fitted her perfectly and she knew she looked good. Her slender, lithe and well toned body was shown to it's full potential and every curve was there on display, ripe and ready. It quite made her buzz with anticipation just looking at her self. She was going to make sure the Doctor got what he had been thinking of... and some.

“Play Alicia Keys, Falling...” she said softly and the TARDIS obliged immediately. She opened the door and leant against it, the TARDIS dimmed the lights just a little, instinctively knowing that Rose wanted to see every reaction she could.

Indeed, the Doctor's face was a picture as he watched Rose undulate to the pole, his mouth open, his eyes wide.

When she got to the pole she turned her back on it, giving him a splendid view of her backside, round and juicy below the red thong. Then she put both hands on the bar above her head and pulled her legs up and over it and opened them wide.

_'Shoulder Mount V'..._ Her voice was in his head, slow and sultry so the words sounded really dirty. The Doctor's Adam's Apple travelled up and down his throat.

Stretching her legs back past the bar she rolled her body over as far as it could so she was looking at him upside down, her legs still over her head.

_'Electric Leg'..._ came her voice again and she licked her lips.

As she began her complex routine each movement's name resounded in his mind.

_'Chopsticks... Duchess... Cocoon... Keem... Allegra... Jade... Music Box...'_ Her body contorted this way and that, climbing up and then sliding down the pole. He was mesmerised by her.

_'You'll like this one, Doctor... Banana Splits...' _She stretched her whole body the length of the pole, right leg pointing upwards, left leg pointing down. Her arms held her and her upper body was out to the side. The Doctor stopped breathing.

_' Stag... Down-splits... Half Flag Splits... Ceiling Splits...'_ In between these versatile and very daring positions her body moved around the pole like a snake, her movements a natural flow. It was like he couldn't see where Rose stopped and the pole began.

Each time she displayed a new skill, she moved up and by the time she did the last one she was at the top of the pole, her head virtually touching the corals of the high ceiling. She looked him in the eye and cast her last thought to him.

_'Diva Dive into Nose Breaker'_ She let her body point downwards and 'whoosh' she fell/slid down it in perfect timing to the last notes of that haunting melody. 

The Doctor jumped up, excited and scared and was at the bottom of the pole before she got there. She stopped herself before he could and, still holding the pole, she wrapped her legs around him like a contortionist.

“Rose...” He said the word aloud on a groan and it sounded odd after the mind whispers and the music.

“Doctor...” She answered and let go of the pole to grab his shoulders. Their lips met hungrily. He walked, with her legs wrapped around his waist, to the bed where he laid her back and, after removing her thong, he crawled up her kissing his way back to her mouth.

“I love you...” he whispered softly as he entered her right to the hilt, taking the breath away from her.

She was already half way there just from letting herself go in the dance, so when the Doctor took her she couldn't hold on and her climax hit her almost immediately. He looked triumphant as he thrust himself into her, keeping a check on his own control just so he could feel those tight velvety walls clenching around him.

And then she was inside his head again, urging him to completion and it shocked and surprised him enough for him to lose all control as he let those same tight velvety walls milk him dry.

He fell onto her panting but not quite wanting to move out of her. He needed to stay connected to her in the basest possible way.

“This basque is bleedin' uncomfortable...” she said after a long breathy pause and he rolled off her, laughing.

“How to kill the buzz in such a Tyleresque way!”

“See, sometimes it feels like you just want me for my body, Doctor!” She sat up and began to try to unlace the now offending basque.

“Oh, Rose Tyler, how the tables have turned! There was a time when I know all you thought about was what was going on underneath my clothes and don't you deny it! What we just did, what you just did for me is completely acceptable within the perimeters of our marriage. Okay, so it's a bit of a cliché, but all this... this sexing stuff is rather new to me...” He batted her hands away and took over undoing her lace.

“Soon as I open me gob, you start makin' jokes, makes me think you don't find me mouth very sexy and you'd rather I just shut up and give out.” Her accent seemed more pronounced when she was feeling vulnerable.

“Rose Tyler, how many times a day have I told you how fantastic.. how brilliant you are? I want you for you and as far as you have taught me doing this...” He pulled the basque from her shoulders letting her boobs free, his eyes involuntarily left her face,“...is the very best way to express my love for you.”

Rose stood up, unhooked the basque from the stockings and started to roll them down her long legs completely unaware that she was giving him another show. When she stood he was lying on the bed with hooded eyes, staring at her. Her eyes travelled from his face and down his naked body finishing up at the place that was reacting to her in the way it so easily did these days.

“Again?” she said, a little smile forcing it's way onto her mouth.

“I want to show you how much I love you, Rose, is that a crime?”

“No, course not but I don't want you to use sex as an excuse, you blind me with it so I don't know everything that's going on and I think you might do that on purpose sometimes.”

“You're the one who was giving me the show! I was just happy to be part of it.”

“I think I know that much...” She climbed back on the bed, now as naked as he.

“And for the record, Rose Tyler... I think your mouth is the sexiest mouth in the Universe, in all Universes... and I'm happy to be able to say it too!”

“Is that so?” He nodded as she scooted downwards, licking her plump lips. His eyes rounded and he nodded again, anticipation making him a bit breathless.

While the Doctor and Rose continued their everlasting honeymoon, the TARDIS continued it's pursuit of the Wolf Star and it was gradually homing in on it. By the time Rose and the Doctor surfaced they would find out exactly where the Lullabean Ship was...


	23. Chapter 23

The TARDIS landed beautifully, since the Doctor had found her and activated her in that wood in Scotland she had never just plain ordinary flown. There had been a great deal of materialization, but never a simple flight path. She enjoyed how easy it was and rewarded herself with a lovely gentle bump instead of the usual abrupt finish.

Here, she waited patiently for the Doctor and Rose to realise that they were no longer in motion. They were rather preoccupied in the bedroom so it took them a while.

She tried a few things to disturb them such as raising the temperature in the bedroom, but all that had done was made them continue whatever it was such beings did in the shower together. So, she turned the temperature right down but all that did was make them snuggle up in bed together and so the shower shenanigans continued horizontally and without water. 

It was boring waiting for them to finish, she wanted to be praised for achieving what needed to be achieved. She was beginning to like the way he spoke to her, encouraged her, even the way he caressed her when no one else was looking. She was eager to please Rose too, wanting, needing her approval just as much.

All she wanted to do was impress them and how could she if they were always doing their 'private' things in the bedroom or bathroom? The concept of this word was without meaning to her. How could something be this word inside her? She knew and saw all and yet he told her to be absent from these many many moments they had together.

And anyway, they had had plenty of these moments everywhere else in and around her when they hadn't brought the little people on board. The little people weren't as bad as him and her, but they were still contributing to the carnal atmosphere she was sensing all around her. Frankly, it made her feel left out and if they didn't notice soon she might do something drastic.

She flashed her lights a bit, maybe that might get a reaction?

***********

“What was that?” Rose said with a stretch.

“Mm mm... I saw lights, did you too?” The Doctor hummed in her ear. They were tied up in each other, completely sated for now. They had both been reflecting on the past six hours they had spent here.

_“Shagathon... I wonder if that's a word... it should be... and if it was an event in the Olympics, we'd have gold... I wonder if we can get another one in before I go and check on the TARDIS... when she was doing that thing earlier with that jiggle and swing, I remembered something else I had thought of way back when we first met... I wonder if we have any chain lying around here... I wonder if my sexy beast can conjure me some up?”_ pondered the Doctor as he lay beneath her.

_”The Doctor is mine... all mine... all mine...” _She was sprawled across him, collapsed in post-coital exhaustion, a huge smile practically stretching across her face.

“But the lights really did flicker on and off, didn't they?” She lifted her head as she spoke to look into his face.

“Oh, they do sometimes, though, don't they?” He tilted his head, chin to chest and puckered for a kiss, but Rose, disappointingly, just flopped her head back down again.

“Not this one, Doctor, not that I know of... you mustn't confuse her with the other one.”

What Rose said was true, this TARDIS hadn't developed any funny 'isms' yet. She was young and, dare he admit it, more sophisticated because of it. Come to think of it, the temperature had being going all over the place earlier. He sighed, had Gladstone and Gladys been interfering?

He tried to move, but Rose was going nowhere, she giggled lowly, “got you in my web now, ain't I? Not gonna ever let you go!”

Oh, the temptation to stay was almost overwhelming, but her observation about the TARDIS before had started a niggle, one that would only go away when he had checked.

Suddenly, Rose was flipped onto her back and the Doctor was above her, she licked her lips and smiled up at him through half closed eyes, but didn't move. Nor did he as he gazed down upon his love worn wife. The most beautiful creature he had ever come across and, indeed, in to.

“What you do to me woman... never known anything like it... is it normal... how we are?”

“I'm shagged out...” she smiled beatifically, through hooded eyes, “never heard of it being like this for real... porno films and blokes boasting down The Archers... but yeah, we're certainly making the most of the word Honeymoon... at it like rabbits...”

“Tell you what... I'll run you a bath... sooth your bits and while you're having that, I'll go and have a check. Be back before you know it... maybe I'll join you...”

“Mmm... how's about you let me stay right here... go and do what you have to do and later we can take a bath together... I can't move...” Indeed, as she was speaking, Rose was dropping off. The Doctor pulled himself up on his arms, a satisfied look on his face. He had worn his wife out and that made him feel very manly indeed.

He nudged at her in her head.

_“Leave me alone... need to rest...”_ she answered the nudge.

_“Rest well, my sweet Rose, I shall be back soon enough and then we can go for the record...”_

He got up and began to dress. Her head went up suddenly.

“What record?”

“Universal record for love making... I think we're on to a winner...” he teased and she flopped her head back down. She said no more and the Doctor, strolled off down the corridor, hands in pockets, smiling from ear to ear in smug satisfaction.

He walked up to the monitor, his head in the clouds and idly pulled it to him. He glanced at it and then back down to the coordinates. He double took.

There must have been a couple of hundred Lullabeans all looking very cross indeed and there in the midst of them, each chained to what looked like some kind of Totem Pole, were Gladys and Gladstone looking very forlorn indeed.

His first impulse was to rush out there shouting the odds and do his usual solo rescue mission and then he remembered... skidding to a halt on the ramp. Rose's image sparked across his mind.

_“And yet you constantly take matters into your own hands... how many times have you left me on this mission alone? We were separated for years, Doctor, do you want something like that to happen to us again?”_

He sighed, thinking of his very tired wife in their bed and he was in a dilemma. Gladys and Gladstone needed rescuing right now. 

He closed his eyes, _“Rose...”_

_“Go away 'm sleepin'...”_ she mumbled in his head.

_“There's an emergency... I need you to come and help me **right now**...”_

There was a long silence and then a crash from the corridor and Rose bolted through the doors, doing up her jeans. Her top was on inside out and back to front. To say she had bed hair would be an understatement. To the Doctor she looked fantastic.

“What is it?” she asked, her breath coming in short bursts.

“We're on the Lullabean ship and I think our companions may have wandered off...”

He was using every fibre in his body not to burst through those doors in front of him and Rose, however tired she was, suddenly got her Torchwood head on. She went to the monitor, slipping on her trainers as she inspected the scene before her.

“Do we have a plan?” she asked, positioning herself beside him.

“Do we ever?” he said with a grin as he took her hand and together they rushed at the doors.


	24. Chapter 24

They weren't noticed immediately, even though there were two of the largest Lullabeans standing right by the TARDIS doors. The Doctor and Rose were still over a head taller than them. Even then, Gladys and Gladstone were tiny by comparison to any of them.

There was little noise, the scene was hostile but nobody seemed to be saying anything. And then he saw that the Lullabean nearest Gladstone was holding his fingers to his temples trying to read him. Gladstone looked drained and Gladys was silently weeping.

The two guards didn't notice them until the Doctor loudly cleared his throat. The whole congregation moved as one to face them. Rose kept hold of his hand but did nothing, she was following his lead.

“I'd like to ask... what are you trying to achieve by ransacking this poor fellow's brain?” The Doctor asked, delivering his question mainly to the Lullabean guilty of invading poor Gladstone's head.

“You are in charge?” The Lullabean turned to face the newcomers, nodding to the guards who stepped in bedside them, flanking them. This was in no way intimidating, in fact they looked like the intimidated ones as they regarded the Doctor's stance.

“What are you doing to my poor friend?” The Doctor asked, ignoring his question.

“They wouldn't divulge your reasons for being here, it's trespass, your box landing here, we want to know why you have been so diligently tracking us over time and light years... telepathy is our way of extracting the information we need...” The Lullabean looked surprised at himself for giving away as much information.

“Let my friends free and I will tell you our business in following you.”

The leader of the Lullabeans nodded to two more guards and they set about letting their prisoners free. Gladstone collapsed to the ground and Gladys fell to her knees before him, whimpering softly.

“You cannot just go into an untelepathic head willy nilly! You could cause irrevocable damage!” The Doctor strode forwards, the crowd parting as he, followed by Rose; made his way to the little pair. He knelt beside Gladys, a question to her on his face as he placed his own fingers gently on Gladstone's temples.

“We were a little bored, thought we'd come out and investigate. Gladstone protected me, said that they could do what they wanted to him so long as they left me alone!” she sobbed and the Doctor nodded gently. Rose touched Gladys's shoulder and she stood and turned into her arms, gratefully accepting the comfort.

A minute later, Gladstone was sitting up, a little worse for wear but already on the mend. The Doctor was also up and pacing, Rose watching his every movement, breathlessly.

“Your friends are free, state your business, or let me see...” said the head Lullabean, his fingers twitching.

“All in good time... I have a few questions before you get your answers.”

“You are our prisoners... you have no right to ask questions...”

“All the same, I'm a little confused about your status.”

“My status? I am their elected leader...”

“In my learnings, Lullabeans don't have elected leaders, they have a monarchy descended from the females of the first of your people.”

“But when the line is broken and there are no remaining descendants, then an...”

“Then it falls to the females on the paternal line,” interrupted the Doctor.

“And if there are no females left on either side...”

“I find that hard to believe...”

“Believe what you will... when our Queen Sylvana Naissance eloped with nothing more than a criminal, her parents were so grieved that they both died of broken hearts within a month of each other. We had no choice but to hold an election. I won that election and the female line of my family will step into the monarchy when I expire.” The Doctor knew he wasn't telling the truth, the Lullabeans were renowned for their peace loving natures. He only had to look about him to see how uncomfortable the majority of the crowd looked to know it wasn't the truth.

That had been the acting lead Lullabean's one chance, the Doctor had seen what sort of torture he had put Gladstone's head through and he wasn't at all a happy Time Lord.

“You have permission to enter my head be it at your own peril...” It was a fair warning, but the leader merely sneered and approached the Doctor, but he was too tall and, after a moments hesitation, the Doctor slowly dropped to his knees, maintaining eye contact with him all the while.

The Lullabean's face changed the very moment his fingers went to the Doctor's temples. He read that he was a Time Lord and then the whole reading switched and the Doctor was abstracting information from _him_. He saw what had happened... that their pregnant Queen had taken flight with her soulmate because there was an uprising amongst the ranks. He saw Jacatance's grandparents taken prisoner and jailed in the dungeons way below them. He saw the dictatorship of these poor peace loving creatures. And he knew he was going to end it... right now.

The Lullabean had titled himself as Lord Protector Axis Paladin and he was a cruel, damaged creature. The Doctor was the only one who could hear him screaming as the whole crowd watched on fearfully at their silent impasse.

He showed him things that he would never be able to forget, but he was very careful never to let him see that the descendant to the throne was in his charge, never to let him see that the very Queen he had overthrown had died in her ship with her soulmate in a field just outside Cardiff leaving their surviving child all alone beside them.

It was Rose that intervened. Her hand upon his shoulder, pulling him out of the punishment he was giving the despicable creature in front of him.

“That'll do, Doctor...” she said softly and the trance was broken, he pulled out of the Lullabean's head quickly and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Nobody moved forward as the Doctor stood up and faced them. It was like they were all holding their breath, waiting.

The Doctor projected an image to Rose of the two elderly Lullabeans in the dungeons below and immediately, she went off to set them free. Gladstone and Gladys followed her at his instruction.

Rose's telepathic link to the Doctor heard clearly what went on next as she went in search of the dungeons.

He projected to every Lullabean on board that huge ship. He showed them what he had learnt of their cruel dictator. Then he showed them himself and Rose discovering the crashed ship, how Rose opened the secret compartment on the ship, how Jacatance had imprinted on them and how she had settled into a life on their strange planet.

Their were tears of sadness for their lost Monarch and then tears of joy for the found child. The whole congregation, now free of their tyrant erupted into a frenzy of tears and then there was a gradual hush as Rose appeared with the two elders, walking slowly and blinking in the light.

The two old Lullabeans walked right up to the Doctor and the female of them collapsed into his arms. 

It was a sad and a happy moment. They were grateful that the usurper had been overturned, bereft at the loss of their daughter and son-in-law and overjoyed that the heir to the Naissance line had survived.

Later on, in their rather sumptuous palace that Axis Paladin had taken as his own, they offered their hospitality to the four travellers. The afore said was now in the very same dungeon that they had spent the last four years in. 

“We are very much looking forward to meeting with Jacatance... but therein lies a problem...” said Ethelthyrth Naissance, Queen Dowager ( Lullabean monarchs retired when their heirs came of age)

“A problem?” The Doctor asked, looking a bit puzzled.

“Yes, you see there are recorded circumstance of Queens in our history expiring before their heirs are of age, there is then usually a ceremony with the chosen guardian, usually the grandparent; becoming the monarch again until the grandchild is of age. By imprinting with darling Jacatance, well, that technically makes you her parents, which makes you the acting Monarch...”

Rose didn't realise that all eyes were on her for a long moment and then it dawned on her, “Me?” she squeaked.

“Yes, you...” The Doctor's eyebrows raised as the two elderly Lullabeans knelt before her, “All Hail, Rose Tyler, Queen of the Lullabeans...”


	25. Chapter 25

“Queen? I can't be Queen!” Rose shrieked at him. They had been shown to their quarters and Rose had said very little until they were completely alone. Gladys and Gladstone were relieved to be tucked up in their rooms aboard the TARDIS but however much they had insisted they were asked, very politely, to stay in the palace. The Doctor obliged, not wanting to rock the ship as it were.

“You have little choice... but I do have an idea...” Rose looked at him expectantly.

“Well... what is it?” she asked after too long a pause.

“Accept the position... as a formality... refuse to become ruler... invite the Queen Mum to take the mantle until Jacatance is ready. We go back to our lives and Jacatance can begin her formal training.”

“But that would mean putting Jacatance here in my place?”

“I'm sure we can work something out. We just have to negotiate. They can't force you, Rose, but I really don't want to upset them, they carry weight amongst the Universe, could make travelling here very awkward.”

“Since when has something like that ever bothered you?”

“Since we 're travelling a new Universe, since I married you... I didn't really care before... now I do...”

“That I make you vulnerable, you're still harping on about that?”

“I'm glad that you do, Rose Tyler... First of your name... Swinger Of Chains... Mother Of Naissance... Dame of the Powell Estate... Defender of The Universes... Queen of Lullabeans...” The Doctor lay back on the huge, sumptuous bed and began to laugh.

Rose observed him, hands on hips and a wry smile trying to force itself on her mouth.

“You got that wrong and all... named after me great gran... Rose Tyler... blimey, if the TARDIS had gone back an 'undred years sooner, you might be 'ere with a different Rose!” Her accent came out stronger when faced with such utter chaos and him not really helping at all. The Doctor observed her with a shocked expression, “That wiped the smile off yer face!” she laughed at him.

“Well... here we are... till morning with a lovely big bed to try out... Rose Tyler...” He waggled his eyebrows and bounced up and down on the bed. Rose shook her head even with the twinges of desire already twitching in her abdomen.

“ Diversion tactics, Doctor! I don't want to be Queen... and if I am, what does that make you?”

“Lord of Time... can't go higher than that...” he sniffed, pulling himself up off the bed and walking towards her. She was still standing by the door.

“Yeah, but it's a different Universe... you told me a long time ago that there were no Time Lords here... what if they've never heard of your people?”

“I did wonder about that, but the fact that Donna Noble is revered in this Dimension, that she has become a kind of deity; points to the fact that they do have some kind of knowledge of us. Indeed, there was a time when my people hopped between parallels at the drop of a hat. If anything the fact that I exist here probably makes me more important.”

“And that's not big headed and pompous in any way?” He was standing right in front of her and the smile that had been trying to break out of her mouth finally surfaced. This was his cue and he swooped in, pulling her body onto his shoulder, carrying her over to the massive bed and throwing her down upon it. The mattress was so soft that she appeared to sink into it and him landing atop of her didn't help. “Doctor, what if they're watching us?”

“Preposterous! As Queen you could have their heads for it!”

“I'm not gonna be Queen!” she squeaked but he shut her up with his mouth and she was lost in their favourite type of much needed stress relief.

The two Lullabeans who had been observing through an intricate network of cameras stopped and stared at each other in terror.

“No way do I want to watch the royal couple copulating and my head needs to stay properly on my shoulders... we switch it off, agreed?”

“Yes sir!” came the reply and the two turned off the screens and went to report to their superior officer.

**********

Next morning, after a magnificent breakfast banquet they were ushered into the private throne chambers to discuss the new situation. There was a council of about thirty Lullabeans sat with them at the table.

“Our laws state that she who imprints upon an Orphan Heir must take the mantle until the Heir Apparent is of age.” Ethelthryth Naissance said demurely as if reading from a textbook.

“But surely that would be amongst your kind?” The Doctor spoke up and the Ethelthryth, who had been addressing Rose, turned to him.

“And what, pray, gives you the right to speak here?” she addressed the Doctor. Indeed, it had been a battle just to get him in the room at this meeting.

“I'm the Doctor, I'm her husband....”

“Ah... Consort to the Monarchy... you have no need to speak here... but only to give your Queen Elect advise...”

“I would advise that you speak to him with a little more respect... he's a Time Lord.... the last of the Time Lords as it happens.” There was a distinct change within the room as Rose spoke. All eyes turned to the Doctor.

“Do I have to prove myself?” he asked softly out loud and then all telepaths immediately got a jolt like an electric shock as he made his presence completely felt amongst them.

“But how is that even possible?” Ethelthryth asked as all heads bowed low towards him.

“No, don't do that... “ He waved a hand at them, looking about as comfortable as he was being saluted to.

“There have been no recordings of Time Lords for many centuries in our whole Universe!”

“I like to keep my head down unless I have some pressing business. As you must be realising, it is as impossible for me to break my bond with my Soulmate as it is for you to tie us down to this one ship...”

“This goes against all protocol, My Lord...”

“Then let's make new protocol!” The Doctor stood up and all eyes followed him as he paced the room. “Queen Ethelthryth, I am so very sorry for the loss of your daughter and her Soulmate and I understand that Jacatance will need to know your ways, to be educated in respect of the throne. But she is very settled with us. Her adoptive grandmother has made quite an impact.”

“You surely do not intend to travel with her in your blue box, Doctor?”

“Not when she is so young... but I think for her to get out amongst the planets might not be such a bad idea for a Queen in waiting...” There was a murmur around the council.

“Would we have no input?”

“Of course you would, Jacatance knows we are looking for you, she will be very happy that you are found, but as she grows, I fear she will need more than just here now her mind is opened up to other life forms. I'm thinking that you should come back to our galaxy... your ship will be given the freedom of it. I can bring Jacatance to you and she can equally spend time with her imprinted family. Her mind could have so much more to offer with the input of all of us.”

“But Sol 3 is renowned for it's hostility. I fear that if our ship presents itself even accidentally on your radar it will be attacked.”

“Not when Jacatance's adoptive grandfather is head of Torchwood.”

“Torchwood?”

“Deals with extra terrestrial threats.... you would be given maximum clearance. I can also rig you up a force field, for your own peace of mind.”

A long thoughtful silence followed and then finally the older Queen turned directly to Rose.

“And you, your highness, what say you of these events?”

“I'm no Queen... I looked after Jacatance as any compassionate soul would.. I care for her deeply... I respect your ways, but I know nothing of them. You are still young and I think if you were to step back onto the throne in the interim, that would be best for all.”

“You would renounce the crown, defer it to me?”

“I would...” Rose nodded graciously.

“And the Princess... she begins a dual education... a dual life?”

“It would be cruel to rip her away from her family again. The Doctor's solution is surely the best?” Rose's words of wisdom surprised the Doctor a little. He wasn't used to her being so articulate. The years at Torchwood had altered her negotiating skills somewhat. He was impressed. Rose looked directly at him, a dark look that surprised him. She winked very subtly and he felt himself flush a little.

The council were all fervently whispering and then Ethelthryth held up a hand.

“There is no precedence for this situation, so I believe as the Time Lord suggests that we should make the law fit the need. I propose that we do as the the Queen Elect says.”

“Your highness, there must be a Ceremony!” The Dowager Queen's right hand man spoke for the first time. The Queen stood and addressed the council.

“We will have a Coronation, at which the Queen Elect, Rose Tyler, will defer the crown and I will be honoured to serve a second term, if the council is in agreement with this. After the Celebrations, the Doctor will make arrangements for us to travel to the Milky Way, a place we have never ventured to. The Doctor, a Time Lord, assures me that we will have safe passage within this realm. I have no reason not to trust his word.”

There was a long pause and then somebody clapped and all of a sudden the whole council were up on their feet, applauding the solution that had obviously been agreed upon. The Queen bowed her head regally and smiled at Rose.

“There is one thing I would like to suggest!” The Doctor spoke up and the applaud died down.

“My Lord, do you not agree with this plan that you yourself have virtually manoeuvred?”

“Oh, no, it's a splendid plan! But I wanted to suggest something more...”

“Pray, speak...”

“Well... you have been without a monarchy for some time now and a couple more months aren't going to make a great deal of difference. Well, what I'd like to suggest is that we travel back to our galaxy and that the baby Jacatance and all her adopted family might be able to join the Celebrations.”

“A splendid idea!” Queen Ethelthryth said after another long pause and the whole of the room erupted again.

“That's the way to do it...” The Doctor whispered to Rose at his side. She rolled her eyeballs, nudged his side with her own and joined in the applaud.


	26. Chapter 26

They were laughing and messing around as they set the coordinates for home so they didn't notice Gladys and Gladstone for a while until one of them cleared their throats making them jump back as if they had an electric shock from the console.

“You okay?” Rose asked finding her voice and blushing delightfully (at least for the Doctor) at being caught out. The Doctor smiled and took her hand, squeezing it.

“It's just that... well... we've enjoyed the trip, nice honeymoon and all that...” Gladstone began.

“Yeah... we're ready to go home now... seeing my Gladstone like that... and protecting me and all... I know I never want to see it again... so we're done... time to go home and see if we can get that shop how we want it...”

“You don't want to come back to Earth... you don't want to come to the celebrations?” The Doctor was dumbfounded at their request but Rose stepped forward, understanding completely.

“It can get a bit rough, this life of ours... and we could never promise that it might not be as dodgy as that was... or maybe worse. You're more than welcome to stay for longer of course... but equally we respect your decision to leave.” Gladys nodded tearfully and Rose bent down and hugged her. Gladstone looked nothing but relieved. 

So the decision was made, the Doctor had gone to the Lullabeans and explained that they were going to have to go home via a detour and then the coordinates were reset for The Wagglan Nebula. The Lullabeans chose to select their own path, but they all agreed on a rendezvous. 

After all this, the Doctor suggested that he cook the four of them something delicious by way of good bye.

Rose was gobsmacked. She couldn't remember the Doctor ever even grilling so much as a slice of toast in all the time she had been with him.

“You gonna get the TARDIS to cook us up a banquet or something?” she asked as he set about the galley gathering ingredients. He stopped, an onion in one hand and a knife in the other, and slowly turned to her watching him as she leant against the door frame.

“Just because I don't cook, Rose, it doesn't mean I can't... it's a nice way to say goodbye and a good excuse for us all to dress up... now... unless you want to stay and forget about supper... you'd look pretty awesome spread out on this table...”

“Tempting as that is, Doctor, I think we may have put Gladstone and Gladys through enough...” He nodded and continued to peel the onion ready to chop it. She continued to watch him until he stopped and turned to her again, his brow cocked.

“What now?”

“I really have a lot to learn about you, don't I?” She folded her arms and he put down the knife and the onion and walked towards her.

“Tip of the ice berg, Mrs Doctor.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly, “ but it's a very nice tip and you know enough to know me and the rest will just follow as and when...” He kissed her again.

“A very nice tip indeed...” she said when they surfaced, her tongue to her mouth, tasting the kiss.

He growled, “Stop it... or you won't be witnessing my culinary prowess today and we shall all end up saying goodbye with an egg sandwich!” 

She moved away from him but grinned as she turned outside the door, “Nothing wrong with a good old egg sarnie... I like the fancy stuff, don't get me wrong, but sometimes something ordinary and quick is just as satisfying...” she left him spluttering and quick footed it down to their bedroom to see what the TARDIS had conjured up for her to wear at their very first dinner party.

He caught up with her as she walked through the door and grabbed her from behind startling her, so that she used a Torchwood manoeuvre upon him landing him on the floor at her feet with a grunt.

Two seconds and she was atop of him, kissing the life out of him as they relinquished themselves from as little clothing as they needed to gain access to one another. 

Her skirt was at her waist, knickers pushed to one side and his flies undone, relinquishing his hardness for her soft flesh to engulf.

It was a hard thrust, quick and messy, he peeled up her shirt and bra kneading her breasts as they claimed one another. Their climax hit them simultaneously, within minutes of his landing on the floor. She collapsed against him panting.

“Rose Tyler... you are so rude...” he breathed into her ear and she pulled herself up a little so she could look into his face, a self satisfied grin adorning hers.

“You wouldn't have it any other way...”

**********

The dining room was fantastic, and Rose suspected that he had discovered it that morning and had offered the supper because he wanted to give it a test run.

The room was completely round. Most rooms in the TARDIS had a natural curve to them, to be honest, but this room was perfectly round with a large dark wooden perfectly round table in the middle. The matching chairs were rounded too, so they fitted against the table perfectly.

The china was gleaming white and the glasses beautifully cut crystal. The cutlery was sparkling silver and engraved with the fantastic symbols that Rose recognised from various scribblings around the TARDIS.

It truly was magnificent even if only set for four. Rose reflected on the many Vitex dos she had had to go to during the time they were separated and none of those sumptuous affairs compared to the splendour of this. 

Rose looked at her husband questioningly and he just shrugged, “seems the TARDIS has been making all this as a wedding gift to us...” he sniffed as he pulled back a chair for Gladys to climb into. Funny thing was, even though all the chairs matched, the chair she sat in fitted her small size perfectly.

Rose observed him as Gladstone pulled out her chair. The Doctor was resplendent in his black tuxedo and black bow tie. She recalled the heated conversation they had had about it when she had glimpsed it hanging in their bedroom beside her deep dark blue silk dress.

_“After everything we've been through you don't think it's wise to tempt fate with it?” she had asked._

_“Superstitious nonsense, Rose! It's only a tuxedo! What could possi..” But she cut him off short._

_“Don't you even dare say it!” she had snapped and he had stopped teasing and gently explained that whatever was going to happen would happen no matter what they were wearing and if they went through life with that frame of mind they might as well stay in Pete and Jackie's Mansion for the rest of their lives._

Rose sat down, and caught the Doctor looking at her again. She knew the dress did everything for her, in fact, he had nearly dropped the ladle when she had arrived briefly in the galley to say that they were all ready and congregated in the corridor.

It wasn't quite a navy blue, but getting close to it and the silk was like nothing she had ever worn before and she suspected was woven from creatures that now lived in the gardens of this wonderful new time machine. This TARDIS was indeed proving herself over and over again. Rose was beginning to let loose the guilty feelings she had for their old girl and allow this new girl in.

Spaghetti straps and full length, but figure hugging with a long slit down the left leg that showed her long, long legs off. She had tiny matching blue heels to match. The time that she would normally have spent trying to find an outfit was absorbed in her make up and hair. 

In actual fact Gladys had sought her out to ask for help with her own hair and had taken over Rose's style, fashioning it into a beautiful bun with many cascading ringletted tendrils escaping it. Two tiny dark blue sparkling studs in her ears had finished it all off. She had taken the Time Lord's breath away, which was no mean feat given his repository bypass system.

They had all taken a seat and Rose looked at the Doctor questioningly. He merely grinned and clapped his hands. 

It was like something out of Harry Potter as the food he had spent all afternoon preparing appeared on the table, steaming hot and delicious.

They hadn't had to move for the next two hours as the TARDIS made like a house elf and delivered plateful upon plateful of delicious food for them to enjoy.

“You think you're so impressive...” Rose said, leaning back, belly full to bursting.

“I _am_ so impressive...” he responded automatically and she grinned, her tongue escaping her mouth yet again.

“You are... now I know how well you can cook... leaves my beans on toast a pretty poor offering... I shall have to let you take over the reigns in the galley!” 

The Doctor's face dropped and then a wicked glimmer in his eye had him retaliating with, “I enjoy all this fancy stuff immensely, but there's nothing wrong with a good old plate of beans on toast, quick and easy, it can be so satisfying...” He winked at her as he said this and she flushed deeply, remembering their tryst from earlier and suddenly wanting a repeat performance. Gladys and Gladstone shook their heads at each other. They didn't even know what beans on toast were so were completely lost by this puzzling conversation.

Gladstone stood and gently tapped his glass with his spoon.

“I'd like to propose a toast... we wish to thank you for our wonderful adventures. We will remember most of our time travelling with you with fond memories and we will never forget you both. To The Doctor and Rose Tyler!”

It was a pleasant evening, one which the two little people would treasure throughout their long lives, it was often they would sit in their cosy little sitting room behind their successful little shop and reminisce about it all. Gladstone even wondered if he would remember them that day far in the future when they arrived to save his bride and their wedding day.

The goodbye next morning was sad and short. The Doctor and Rose stood at the TARDIS doors and hugged their friends before returning back to the console.

It was a much more sombre affair setting the coordinates for home this time but it was still as exciting. They were never going to be able to stay in one place for too long.

Outside, Gladys and Gladstone held each other and wept as they watched the fantastic blue box disappear taking their best friends with it.


	27. Chapter 27

Jackie Tyler was in the kitchen making Tony and Jacatance egg and soldiers for their lunch when she heard the TARDIS sound in the garden. She didn't look up but spoke as the French windows opened.

“Did you forget something, love?” she asked without looking round, she was just fishing the first egg out of the pan.

Rose looked at the Doctor, puzzled.

“What's the date, Jackie?” he asked making her finally turn, egg balanced precariously on the spoon.

“Don't be daft, you only just left!”

“We've been gone months, Mum!!” Rose batted back. The egg plopped to the floor.

“I'm not going to be part of your childish pranks, look what you made me do!” she sighed, bending to pick it up.

The Doctor and Rose shared another look and he walked to the table, picked up the paper that was sitting there and read the date. His eyebrow twitched and he passed it over to Rose, who's own eyebrows knitted together.

Jackie was back up by now and staring at them a little oddly.

“You're not telling porkies, are you? You came back exactly the same morning you left?”

“So it would seem, I mean, I just entered the return sequence, it seems this TARDIS read it as return not just to where, but to when as well.”

“How long were you gone?”

“Must be about three months, hard keeping track when you're not in a time zone...” Rose said blushing and looking at the Doctor, thinking of the many hours they had spent in bed not really knowing if it was night nor day.

“It was three months, two weeks, three days four and half hours...” The Doctor said, sitting down on a chair a little hard.

“Was about four minutes here!” Jackie said, putting on the kettle, “you gone as white as a feather, Doctor, I'll make a nice brew...”

Rose sat beside him and took his hand, “you all right, Doctor?”

“Bit of a shocker... not used to having a TARDIS that does exactly as is expected of it.”

“Well, I'm glad... means that you can keep good your promise, leave Jacatance here and come home to her every evening... so how did you get on?” said Jackie, warming the large red tea pot.

Just as the Doctor and Rose exchanged another look, Pete walked in carrying Jacatance and with Tony attached to his leg. He looked at the pair sitting at the table, also puzzled, but the children bounced about and Jacatance virtually threw herself from Pete's arms into Rose's.

When the children where settled to their boiled eggs and the four adults were seated with steaming mugs of Jackie Tyler tea cupped in their hands, the Doctor began their tale.

“It wasn't so very obvious, the trail that the Lullabean ship left, but I managed to trace it to one planet and after that it was asking lots of questions along the way, some we got answers to, others were hiding something. I quickly worked out that the Lullabeans were actually trying to hide from us. When we eventually caught up with them, we discovered that there had been a bit of a coo, that Jacatance's grandmother had been imprisoned and a dictator had overthrown the government.”

“Blimey, this all sounds very dangerous...” Jackie spoke up but Pete and Rose shared a knowing eye meet, they were hardened Torchwood operatives and both knew by experience and instinct that the Doctor was sugar coating the story.

“I was always in control, and as soon as I exposed the man for the lying murderer he was, the Lullabeans were soon on the right side. He had told them all that all heirs to the throne were dead, even that Jacatance's grandparents hadn't survived. I soon located them in the dungeons below and peace was restored amongst them.” Rose coughed and he stopped mid story, looked at her and continued. “Sorry, Rose located them and bought them to the surface. I is we and we are I, sorry... Anyway, there was then a big debate about who was heir to the throne, I mean, obviously it's Jacatance, but she's too young, so they have to declare a queen to take the throne until Jacatance grows up.”

“The grandmother, surely?” Pete put in.

“Traditionally, an orphaned heir allows the mother they imprint on to take the throne.” There was a long silence while all the information he had imparted was absorbed.

“But, Rose is Jacatance's new mother, right?” Pete asked and Jackie's eyes rounded in shock.

“You mean...?” Jackie choked out the words as all adult sets of eyes rested upon a bright red and very self conscious Rose Tyler.

**********

“I think they took it all right...” Rose was in their TARDIS bathroom getting ready for a bath.

“Understatement of the Century so far...” the Doctor muttered as he walked in, a towel slung around his waist, “I thought she was bad enough as Mother Of The Bride.... we've enabled a monster!”

“It's quite funny... all that time she tried to convince me to take on the role of Vitex heiress instead of 'chasing around after all them space creatures' and now she's chuffed to bits that I'm to become queen of some of 'them space creatures'!” She bent down to test the temperature of the water which was entirely unnecessary as the TARDIS made sure that it was at exactly the right temperature every time. “But Jacatance was so sweet...”

Indeed, when the Doctor popped Jacatance up on the side after their 'big discussion', to show her what had transpired, Jacatance had been very excited and very moved. She had expressed excitement at meeting her people, cried as the picture of her grandparents entered her head, but she had also shown a little stress at the thought of being separated from this new loving family. The Doctor was very quick to reassure her and when she was calmed enough everyone started to get excited about the celebrations that were to take place in seven days time.

Rose was needed back on the Lullabean ship to practise her ceremonial duties and it was decided that the pair should take Jacatance back for a private union with her lost grandparents.

The Lullabean ship was orbiting nearby, hidden by the Doctor's own work. He had taken the chameleon circuit from the TARDIS and fitted it in the engine room of the great ship.

“The perception filter on the old TARDIS was always enough, why would we need it?” he had said when Rose questioned it. “When we finally found a place where we could get her to change into a blue police box, I deactivated the circuit anyway.” 

It was the morning after and they were getting ready to take Jacatance up for the meet. Jackie was a little nervous, fretting that they might not bring her back and there had been another big discussion at which it was decided that she could come along as chaperone.

She was in the house getting ready, wondering what a mother to a queen should wear to her daughter's coronation as she gazed into her well stocked wardrobe. Jacatance was happy enough wearing what all Lullabeans wear. Nothing.

Rose sat down in the bath with a sigh, the warm soapy water, soothing her aching thighs. The Doctor had been quite enthusiastic during the night and she was feeling the stretch of her muscles. He grinned at her proudly, knowing he was responsible for her need to soak. 

To Rose's surprise, he dropped the towel and climbed in the other end of the bath.

“You already had a shower!” she exclaimed with a groan.

“Which I invited you to join me in, you were too busy playing possum! Are you tiring of me Rose?”

“Course not, just sometimes you stretch me so much, it takes a while to get over it.”

“That sounded very rude and makes me feel very proud of my... manliness!” he said with a self satisfied grin.

“Well, it wasn't quite meant like that, not that I'm complaining... about any of it. It's great to wake up and feel utterly shagged out like this. But even with a fantastic recovery system, I still need some recovery time.” The Doctor liked this and moved forward with a grin. He pulled her legs so she slipped onto his lap and he began a thorough massage of Rose's aching inner thighs. She sighed and gave over to those wonderfully clever fingers and before long they began to move higher and higher up her leg. He stopped, his hands resting at the very apex of her thighs, but he did nothing. She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Did I ask you to stop?” she said wriggling under his hands.

“But you said you needed a rest and if I continue, I can't be held responsible for my actions.”

“You're such a tease, you know that?” she said through slitted eyes, “if it weren't for your repository by pass system, I might be tempted to drown you in this bath.”

“Poor, Rose Tyler, you tease me all the time, running around looking like that. Sorry that now your my wife it's my duty to shag you sore at every given opportunity, here let me put my superior breathing apparatus to work and kiss it better.” And with that he submerged himself completely and made good on his word. 

The TARDIS withdrew from the room quickly, metaphorically shaking her head at this and making a mental note to grow the bath a little bigger than it already was.

So it was a couple of hours later that they arrived in the house, where Jackie and Jacatance were waiting patiently in the hall.

“Breakfast?” asked Rose hopefully, trying to gauge her mother's mood.

“For goodness sake you two! You said to be ready to go over an hour ago! You can make four months disappear just like that, but when it comes to your bedroom shenanigans you're a little lacking!”

Rose looked at the Doctor and the Doctor looked at Rose and, like two adolescent teens, they let out loud guffaws, because, let's face it 'lacking' was the least likely word they would ever come up with regarding their 'shenanigans'.

Jackie just shook her head, got up from the hall bench and made her way to the kitchen, where she loudly put on a skillet to start the bacon. Again.

**********

The TARDIS landed gently in exactly the same place it had left from on the Lullabean ship and Rose and the Doctor left Jacatance and Jackie watching on the monitor while they went and explained that they had bought the little heir and her adoptive grandmother with them.

Luckily, Queen Ethelthryth was around the royal landing area organising the great ceremony and happily greeted the Doctor and Rose. Jackie watched as they talked earnestly to her, and then the queen looked towards the TARDIS, tears in her eyes and Jackie felt something kindred stir within her. She gathered up the little Lullabean and made for the doors.

The three heads turned as it creaked open and the older lady let out a strange sound, one that Jacatance immediately reacted to. She made a similar noise and then began to babble with those familiar French sounding words.

The elder Lullabean walked towards Jackie Tyler, tears streaming down her face and Jackie Tyler walked towards Queen Ethelthryth, a lump in her throat.

“You look just like your mother...” she said as she reached her. There was a long pause as the child studied her grandmother and then her arms went up and the lady carefully took her from Jackie and held her very closely, hugging her as she wept. 

Jacatance, even then, with tears also flowing was desperately trying to touch her grandmother's temples, wanting to know all.

All of them wept, even the Doctor, it was a moving scene and Queen Ethelthryth and Jackie Tyler knew that they were to be lifelong friends from that moment on.

Pretty soon there was quite a gathering as word went around that the Doctor had come back with the Queen Elect and the Royal Heir. There was much rejoicing and shouting and there suddenly seemed to be so many flowers that the air was filled with petals.

Jackie was completely enamoured by the whole thing and when she returned with Jacatance that night, Pete heard all about it, right through supper, right through the news, right through to bed time... until he dropped off to sleep. Even then she kept on talking.

He was sweetly snoring when she told him that she was going to town the next day to get fitted for a new dress for the celebrations. It didn't matter that they would have to pay extra to get it finished in time, she wanted to look her very best when her daughter was crowned Queen of Lullabeans, if only for a moment.


	28. Chapter 28

It was quite a spectacular looking group who left in the TARDIS that morning.

It was an Earth Saturday and Jackie took great pleasure in telling them that it was their two week anniversary. Rose and the Doctor looked at each other and smirked. Jackie noticed but it didn't bother her, she knew that Rose's lifespan was much longer now and that she could afford to whiz on ahead a bit without her body taking the toll of it. In a way it meant that she could spend more of her natural life with her daughter. This newer, more accurate TARDIS had given them that and it was she who had opened Rose's eyes to this.

The Doctor had been very impressed with Jackie's logic when Rose explained it to him and made comments such as the wood not falling far from the trees and suchlike which had rather annoyed his soul mate.

The Doctor, Pete and Tony were all wearing suits that the Doctor had designed for the TARDIS to make and she had excelled herself. They fitted perfectly and were a charcoal grey with a slightly lighter grey pinstripe running through them. Their ties were mottled colours of blues and purples which reminded one of the skin of a Lullabean, which was the intent of the Doctor's design. They wore pale blue shirts underneath and there were even little pinstriped waistcoats to match.

Pete had drawn the line at the charcoal Converses the Doctor had offered him and worn his black dress shoes, but Tony was happy to put them on and be 'just like the Doctor'.

Jackie had taken one look at the beautiful suits that the three men in her life had and begged the Doctor to help her with her own outfit. Now here, you would have thought it would have been awkward but the Doctor patiently sat her down and talked through what she wanted and outlined a neat little flowing suit for her which was made from the print of the material that their ties were made from. Topped off with a pale blue wide rimmed Cartwheel hat with a flowing ribbon tied around the crown in the same purple and blue prints as her suit and, with little pale blue strappy heels to match; she looked perfect.

Her dressmaker had been disappointed at the sudden cancellation of her appointment, but it hadn't surprised her. Jackie Tyler was always changing her mind at the last minute. She was always well reimbursed.

Rose was being made something by the Lullabean Royal Household, so the TARDIS hadn't been asked, but she felt an obligation to her and, unbeknownst to them, she had put a few bits and bobs into Rose's ever growing wardrobe.

As they travelled up to the Lullabean ship she wore a simple blue shift dress that showed off her golden skin. The Doctor thought she had never looked lovelier with the naked Jacatance hooked around her neck, a quiet and serene confidence emanating from her.

Rose and Jacatance were whisked away as soon as they arrived and they were shown to the huge hall of ceremonies and seated right at the front with Jacatance's grandfather. They caused quite a stir as they made their way to the front and all eyes seemed to be turned to the Doctor, the Time Lord amongst them.

And then it began. First the Dowager Queen Ethelthryth holding Jacatance's hand floated down the aisle, their mottled skins aglow, wispy robes floating behind them. The crowd went berserk, joyful shouts and tears at the sight of the little princess back amongst them and then just as suddenly as it had begun it all went quiet.

Rose walked gracefully out and a strangled gasp emanated from the front row. Jackie's eyes flickered to the Doctor who had made this unearthly sound. She smiled to herself at the reaction her child could get out of the Doctor.

The body suit clung to her, every bump and curve covered in a thin layer of material that looked almost like skin in the same hues as the skin of her new people, the Lullabeans. She also wore a long flowing robe that wisped out behind her as she almost floated towards the stage where the Dowager Queen and the Princess Elect proudly waited. Her feet were bare and, unlike the other two on the stage who wore flower garlands; her blonde head was bare, her hair was smoothly brushed cascading down her shoulders.

The sight of Rose's body beneath that second skin disturbed the Doctor, it made him proud, but it also made him want to get his trench coat from the TARDIS and cover her up. A glance at Pete showed that he hadn't even noticed how Rose's body looked and so he gradually began to relax.

The Lullabeans called out in their tuneful tongues and Jackie was surprised to find that she understood every word even if the grammar to her was a little old fashioned.

Rose was asked to take a seat on the beautifully carved throne and the Chief of Ceremonies, namely Jacatance's grandfather, Prince Freydrick; held the crown above her head. He named Rose Queen of the Lullabeans and placed the delicate filigree crown upon her golden head. There was a moments silence and then Rose stood and held her arms out to the congregation.

The whole place erupted into deafening cheers of something similar to 'God Save The Queen' but Jackie couldn't quite decipher the words although she knew exactly what they meant.

Gradually the noise lessened and Rose stood before them, her hands trying to placate them.

“It is with honour that I accept the title and with even more that I defer my leadership to the Dowager Queen Ethelthryth. In her time she was an honest and good queen, one who has far more experience of your ways than I. In turn I charge that I will help to raise the Heir Apparent, Princess Jacatance Naissance until she comes of age. What say you Queen Ethelthryth?”

“I say 'aye'!” Ethelthryth called.

“What say the people?” Rose called out to the crowd and again, there was a brief pause before the crowd erupted again into shouts of 'aye'.

The Dowager Queen took her seat on the throne and Rose removed the garland, handed it to Jacatance and took the beautiful crown from her head and placed on Queen Ethelthryth. Then she bent down for Jacatance to place the garland upon her head. Jackie could make out that the garlands were woven from dozens of tiny roses in all colours of the rainbow.

It was a beautiful ceremony and shouts of Queen Rose and Queen Ethelthyrth rang through the whole giant spaceship for hours as the celebrations took over the normal running of the Empire aboard it.

The Doctor walked down the aisle by Rose's side as they made they way to the huge banquet hall and in an aside he spoke softly to her. “I get to take that off you, right?” he husked and she side-glanced him with a sly grin.

“Thought you'd appreciate it...” she answered turning back and smiling regally at the adoring crowd as they passed them.

“It's practically indecent... that's what... you honestly couldn't cope with what I'm thinking right now...”

“You're sounding more and more like Jack Harkness every day... besides, Time Lord's aren't the only ones who've perfected the art of a perception filter in fact they've fine tweaked it...”

“Oh?” His interest was already more than piqued.

“Shows others how they want to see you... I'm wearing a skin suit, yes, that's what you and I can see and possibly my Mum, but toned down, less detail. Other's will see me as they feel proper to the situation.” And then they were seated ready for the great banquet and the conversation they were having was put on a hiatus, although the Doctor dwelled on it frequently throughout the celebrations.

Oh, did the Lullabeans know how to throw a party, or what? Four years of oppression had come tumbling down so they were celebrating their freedom as well as the coronation of two queens. There was a set day for the mourning of Jacatance's mother, Wilhemina, after the celebrations had died down and once Ethelthryth had summoned her court together. 

The food was stupendous, dishes that none of the humans had ever seen before and some that they had. Tony and Jacatance got full very quickly and it wasn't long before they were playing an elaborate game of their own under the table. 

It was ten courses all seemingly served together and the staff who were serving and cooking got to sit down and eat with them as one complete household.

Rose told Jackie that there were many celebrations going on all over the spaceship doing exactly the same, almost like old fashioned Earth street parties.

Once the food was over with, the banqueting hall was left and the whole congregation made it's way to the ballroom and the music began.

They danced till dawn, Tony and Jacatance falling asleep on the comfy window benches, in a reflection of the Doctor and Rose's wedding reception.

It was decided that the Tyler's were to remain in the palace for the whole weekend but the Doctor and Rose made the decision to sleep in the TARDIS in the vortex. No one questioned this, trusting that they would return when they said they would.

Rose was smiling from ear to ear when he shut the doors and she turned back to him with a coy tongue to her lip.

“You couldn't stay one night in the palace, cos I'm driving you batty in this outfit...” she sang at him and he made a lunge at her which she quickly avoided, darting up by the console.

“You drive me batty full stop... I think you've turned me into a sex maniac!” He adjusted his rather tight trousers and strode up to the console, hitting a button and turning to her.

“I'm rather fond of the sex maniac in you, as it happens...” she said softly and the Doctor pulled her into his arms, his hands splaying across the material on her hips, her arms draped around his neck.

He kissed her softly and pulled back, his eyes glowing with love. “You've made me so happy, Rose, that day when I made the decision to leave that Universe, swap with him and follow my heart? Best decision I ever made.”

“I'm so happy that you have no regrets, Doctor and I'm looking forward to living this wonderful adventure with you...”

“You've made good your promise, Rose, you've given me forever.” She smiled with a little nod, she didn't need to answer him. “Now, as lovely as this looks on you, how do we get it off you?”

“Well, that's for me to know and you to find out...” she answered cheekily. He smoothed his hands down her arms and took hold of her left hand in his right.

“Shall we?” he asked gripping it tight.

“Only way to go..” she answered as they turned towards the corridor, looked at each other and in unison they shouted one word.

“RUN!”

_And that's the end of this little adventure, maybe one day I'll revisit this pair or maybe I will go over to the other Universe and see how Handy and Donna are getting on, who knows? Wherever the muse takes me I am wont to follow... see you on the flip! X_


End file.
